Emergency Contraception Breakthrough: Now Available Over The Counter

Emergency contraception is birth control that prevents pregnancy but it is used after sex occurs, which is why it is sometimes called "the morning after pill". You can use emergency contraception right away or up to five days later, but it is most effective if used within 72 hours. Using it within the first 24 hours decreases your chance by 95%. EC is good to use if you think your birth control failed, you didn't use contraception, or you were forced to have sex. Emergency contraceptives are not as effective as birth control that's used before or during sex, like the pill or condoms.

In the United States, the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B is approved for sale without prescription to women and men 18 and older Plan B will only be sold behind the counter in licensed pharmacies when a pharmacist is on duty. Recently, after much debate, it has been released to be available in many more pharmacies and areas of the country. Some people consider this the 'abortion pill' but this is not the case. The pill just prevents an egg from leaving the ovaries.

As with any medication, there are side effects to EC. Half of the women who take the combination type of pills feel sick to their stomachs, but only for about 24 hours. Less than one out of five women vomit with the combination pills. The risk of nausea and vomiting is much lower with progestin-only EC - less than one in four women feel sick to their stomachs. This is the type of EC available in the United States and it is called Plan B. Breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, dizziness, and headaches may also occur. There have been no reports of serious complications among the millions of women who have used EC.

According to Journal Times, Plan B costs between $25 and $40 and comes as two pills taken 12 hours apart. Right now, there is no insurance plan that covers this. It will be available in stores like Walgreen's and CVS. Some sites like la voz online are quoting the price higher, at $60-$120 for the pills. Many campuses are also getting the pills to make them available for students at a lower cost.

Here are some stats from the Plan B website:
Plan B should be taken within 3 days (72 hours) of unprotected sex and can reduce the risk of pregnancy by 89%. But the sooner you take it the more effective it will be.
Plan B® is not RU-486 (the abortion pill); it will not work if you are already pregnant.
This is there official website. All the information you need to know can be found here. http://www.go2planb.com/ForConsumers/Index.aspx