new morning after pill works for up to 5 days

[Amby 490]

A new type of morning-after pill is more effective than the most widely used drug at preventing pregnancies in women who had unprotected sex and also works longer, for up to five days, a new study says.

The report was published Friday in the British medical journal, Lancet.

Levonorgestrel, the most widely used emergency contraceptive pill, is only effective if women take it within three days of having sex. It is sold under various brand names including Levonelle and Plan B, and is available in more than 140 countries, including the United States, Canada and many countries in western Europe. In nearly 50 of those countries women can get it without a prescription.

International researchers compared Plan B to the new drug ulipristal acetate, sold as ellaOne in Europe only with a doctor's prescription. The drug is not legally on the market elsewhere.

Experts tracked nearly 1,700 women aged 16 to 36 who received emergency contraception within three to five days of having unprotected sex. About half got Plan B while the rest got ellaOne.

In the group that got Plan B, there were 22 pregnancies. In those that got ellaOne, there were 15. In both groups, the most frequently reported side effect was a headache. The research was paid for ellaOne's maker, HRA Pharma, which helped design the study.

When the researchers pooled their results with a previous study comparing the two morning-after pills, they found women who took ellaOne within five days after sex almost halved their chances of becoming pregnant compared to women who took Plan B.

Women who took ellaOne had a 1.8 percent chance of becoming pregnant, while women who took Plan B had a 2.6 percent chance.

Last May, the European drug regulator approved ellaOne. HRA Pharmacy has refused to say where else the pill is being submitted for approval.

Compared with Plan B, which becomes less effective over time, ellaOne appears to work consistently well over five days in women who have unprotected sex.

Health officials, however, warned that this should not give women a false sense of security.

"The message has to be always that women should act as soon as possible," said Tony Kerridge, a spokesman for Marie Stopes International, a nonprofit sexual health organization in Britain not linked to the study.

"You may think you have a window of opportunity, but as soon as you can, go somewhere and get it sorted," Kerridge said.

Plan B contains synthetic progesterone and mimics how the natural hormone works, interfering with ovulation in the early stages of the egg's development. In contrast, ellaOne delays ovulation until the egg is released from the ovary.

That difference may explain why ellaOne works for two more days than Plan B, said Dr. Anna Glasier of the Family Planning and Well Woman Services at Dean Terrace Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, who led the Lancet study.

Glasier said more safety data is needed before ellaOne could be recommended for over-the-counter use.

"This is still a new drug, and it has to be around for a couple of years without seeing any unexpected adverse events before anyone would contemplate making it available without prescription," Glasier said.

She estimated that ellaOne costs about three times the price of Plan B.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,584261,00.html

[Susita 175]

contraception is where it's at....

unless of course you want babies like me

[Darnell 8,478]

new one?

what's wrong with the old one ?

I thought the efficacy of the drug was ONLY for 'the morning after' - ####### is with 3 to 5 days?

Come On.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Darnell

[aidan80 9]

I think that's sick.. if you commit the crime do the time or find other ways to avoid getting knocked up that don't involve killing the unborn.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Not sure about the US, but the UK does not consider the morning after pill any sort of "abortion" pill because "if" an egg becomes fertilized it doesn't latch on to the wall.

That latching on is the official start of pregnancy.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Sousuke

[Susita 175]

I think that's sick.. if you commit the crime do the time or find other ways to avoid getting knocked up that don't involve killing the unborn.

it's not an abortion and it's not sick.

[journey4life 0]

I think i have read something about this pill before somewhere it may have been in the testing stages at that time, however as we all know its best to use protection unless your planning a family or as a former marrried man you dont usually have this problem .

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

a former married man? does that mean if I ever divorce i'm going to be sterile!!!!!!!!!!!

[K and L 27]

The morning after pill doesn't work if you're already pregnant, thus it's not an abortion pill.

Edited January 30, 2010 by K and L

[journey4life 0]

well i cant speak for other married men but my experince with marriage was a very poor sex life as in the last 10yrs of my marriage we slept in seperate beds as bad as this to admit there was no contact at all so at this time i have no plans on trying it again even though i was thinking about it but after 2 yrs of talking with a lady from the philippines im deciding to break it off .

[Darnell 8,478]

well i cant speak for other married men but my experince with marriage was a very poor sex life as in the last 10yrs of my marriage we slept in seperate beds as bad as this to admit there was no contact at all so at this time i have no plans on trying it again even though i was thinking about it but after 2 yrs of talking with a lady from the philippines im deciding to break it off .

That may be the best thing, all things considered, yes?

You may want to read this - http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=238306&hl=

There's some interesting nuggets in there, you betcha !

Edited January 30, 2010 by Darnell

[journey4life 0]

Yes Darnell ,,i belive your right , i have been living just fine alone and im sure this will be the way it stays. just cant handle the thoughts of marrying again even though i was considering it before letting a lady go that i been talking to for almost 2yrs in the philippines.

[scandal 951]

I thought the efficacy of the drug was ONLY for 'the morning after'

You thought wrong.

[Darnell 8,478]

You thought wrong.

Ya, well - IMO, it should be limited to 'the morning after' - but hey - my opinion doesn't matter - it says so, right here on the label.

I also think this type of 'med' should be sold without prescription, as well. To be bought , and kept in home or in the purse, as a 'just in case' thing.

[CDAgirlMI 51]

Ya, well - IMO, it should be limited to 'the morning after' - but hey - my opinion doesn't matter - it says so, right here on the label.

I also think this type of 'med' should be sold without prescription, as well. To be bought , and kept in home or in the purse, as a 'just in case' thing.

I agree it should be sold without a prescription(it is in Canada).

But can you clarify "just incase". Like how..if the condom breaks, or "just incase I want to have sex & we're too lazy to use protection". ??

I know this may not be the topic of the article, but "prevention" must be the first choice.