Patient information · Women's health
Emergency contraception
the sooner the better, but you have longer than you think
There are three options and they are not equivalent. The copper coil is by far the most effective and can be fitted up to five days afterwards. Of the two tablets, one works for longer than the other. Which is right for you depends on timing, weight, and what medicines you take.
Seek help urgently if
- you have severe lower abdominal pain, particularly one-sided, in the weeks afterwards
- you are bleeding heavily, or feel faint or dizzy
- there is any possibility the sex was not consensual — specialist support and forensic options are time-limited and confidential
- there is a risk of HIV exposure — preventive treatment must be started within 72 hours and ideally within 24
Sexual assault referral centres provide medical care, emergency contraception and support whether or not you want to involve the police, and nothing is reported without your consent. If you are in immediate danger call 999. The nearest emergency department is the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1FR.
The three options
- The copper coil (IUD) is the most effective emergency contraception by a wide margin, and it works regardless of your weight. It can be fitted up to five days after sex, or up to five days after the earliest date you could have ovulated. It can then stay in as ongoing contraception for up to ten years, or be removed after your next period.
- Ulipristal acetate works up to 120 hours (five days) and is more effective than levonorgestrel, particularly close to ovulation.
- Levonorgestrel works up to 72 hours (three days). A double dose is recommended if you weigh over 70kg or have a BMI over 26.
- Both tablets work by delaying ovulation. Neither works if you have already ovulated, which is why timing and cycle stage matter, and why the coil is more reliable.
Important interactions
Ulipristal does not work well if you have taken progestogen in the previous seven days, and you must not start or restart hormonal contraception for five days after taking it — use condoms in that gap. If you cannot wait five days, levonorgestrel or a coil may be the better choice. Also tell us if you take medicines for epilepsy, tuberculosis or HIV, or St John's wort, as these reduce the effectiveness of the tablets and a coil or a double dose may be needed.
Afterwards
- You can start or restart regular contraception immediately after levonorgestrel, using condoms until it is effective. After ulipristal, wait five days.
- If you vomit within three hours of taking a tablet, you need another dose.
- Your next period may come early or late. Take a pregnancy test if it is more than seven days late, unusually light, or different from normal.
- Emergency contraception does not protect against sexually transmitted infections. Arrange a sexual health screen — chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing from two weeks, HIV and syphilis from four to six weeks with a repeat at three months.
- It does not affect future fertility, and it can be used more than once in a cycle if needed — though it is less effective than regular contraception.
It is not an abortion
Emergency contraceptive tablets work by delaying the release of an egg so that sperm cannot fertilise it. They do not end an established pregnancy and they will not harm a pregnancy that has already begun. The copper coil works by preventing fertilisation and implantation. These are contraception, not termination.
Thinking about ongoing contraception
Needing emergency contraception is a reasonable prompt to review what you are using. Long-acting methods — the implant, the hormonal coil, the copper coil and the injection — are considerably more effective than pills, patches and condoms because they do not depend on remembering anything. We can discuss all of them and fit most of them the same day.
Book an appointment today if you need emergency contraception, particularly if you want a copper coil, which is the most effective option and the one with the longest window. We offer discreet, same-day appointments seven days a week with full sexual health screening on site, and arrange coil fitting through our CQC-registered partners.
Same-day, discreet, seven days a week
Emergency contraception on site; coil fitting arranged through our partners.
Tower Bridge Hospital London
97–99 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1DT
WhatsApp 07903 284 189
info@mhwclinic.co.uk
Open Mon–Sat, 9am–7pm (closed Sundays until September)
In an emergency
Call 999, or go to the Royal London Hospital Emergency Department, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1FR.
When we are closed and it is not an emergency
Call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.