Everything You Need to Know About the Ella Morning After Pill
The pill is called ulipristal acetate. ella is taken within 120 hours of sex to prevent sperm from being fertilized. It stops a baby from being born.
Pros
- It’s highly effective. It can lower your chances of becoming pregnant by 85 percent if taken within 5 days of sex.
- It’s safe. You may experience mild side effects, but they haven’t been linked to serious complications.
- It can be taken within 5 days of sex. Other morning-after pills must be taken within 3 days to be most effective.
- It’s designed to be more effective for people with higher BMIs. It has been found to work better than other morning-after pills for people with a BMI of 26 or higher.
- It may be covered by insurance. Your insurance or local health department may cover the cost of ella.
Cons
- You need a prescription. Ella isn’t available over the counter (OTC).
- Ella might not be as widely available as other types of emergency contraception. (EC) It’s a good idea to call your local pharmacy to ensure they carry the medication you want.
- Ella is typically pricier than other EC options. The price of ella can range from $50 to $105, whilePlan B is a possibility. typically costs $35 to $50.
“Emergency contraception like ella is designed to prevent pregnancies in people who don’t want to be pregnant but are at risk.”
This includes anyone who is not related to the person who is here.
- I had sex without using a contraceptive.
- I had a condom break during sex.
- There was a condom that was punctured.
“If you were having intercourse and a condom popped, broke, or slipped off, the pregnancy risk is the same as it would be if you hadn’t used a condom at all,” explains Dr. Sophia Yen, CEO and co-founder of Pandia health..
How do you decide if you should use ella or another option?
Yen recommends that anyone who has decided to take an EC pill opt for ella.
She says thatElla is the most effective emergency contraceptive pill when taken within 5 days after sex.
ulipristal acetate is a drug.
This drug binds to the body’s progesterone receptors, which delays ovulation, explains Cristin Hackel, a nurse practitioner at The person is called Nurx..
She explains that it decreases the thickness of the uterus, which is a necessary step in creating a pregnant woman.
Ella has an efficacy rate of 85 percent when taken within 120 hours.
Can other medications affect ella?
Yes, researchers
Birth control effectiveness is decreased by hormonal birth control.
Before taking ella, talk with a healthcare professional to ensure it won’t interfere with your hormonal birth control, like the pill, patch, ring, or shot. Taking ella while on hormonal birth control can make them both less effective.
If you take hormonal birth control and ella together, they may cancel each other out.
Hackel says to use condoms for the rest of your cycle and to resume your hormonal birth control after your next period.
What if you take ella after 72 hours?
You can take up to 120 hours after sex. It should work if you take it within 120 hours.
Is there a weight limit for ella?
No, technically.
That said, ella has been found to be most effective for those with a BMI of 30 or less. A single dose was found to be ineffective for people with a BMI of 35 or more.
(Plan B is most effective for those with a BMI of 25 or less, which makes ella accessible to a higher percentage of the population).
If you have a body mass index over 30 you may be able to double the dose of your pill.
Change in your next period is the most common side effect.
There is no way to know if the changes are due to the medication or the stress of being in a situation where you could get pregnant.
It is difficult to know if the menstrual changes are just a stress response or if they are a normal part of menstruation.
It is common to see more spotting before and after your period, and for your blood flow to be altered.
Some people have reported feeling unwell. She says it is not clear if that results from the medication or stress.
If you are prone to nausea, dizziness, or headaches, you might want to take an OTC anti-nausea or anti-Inflammatory medication.
Hackel says to see a doctor if you experience severe pain in your lower stomach after using ella. If you experience signs of an allergic reaction, you should get emergency care.
It depends on whether or not you have insurance.
If you have insurance, the FDA-approved emergency contraception should be free. You can find out if your plan covers ella by contacting your health insurance provider, doctor, or pharmacist.
If you are not insured or working with a provider that does not take insurance, ella costs between $50 and $60.
Some places may charge over $100.
You may also be able to get ella for free or at a lower cost from your local health department, family planning clinic, or The organization is called Planned Parenthood..
You will need to work with a provider in person or via the internet.
A primary care physician can prescribe this medication.
If you prefer using a provider that is tele-enabled, check out:
You can purchase ella from an in-person pharmacy or online pharmacy after you have a prescription.
Plan B and Ella are both effective forms of emergency contraception. Understanding their key differences can help you decide which is best for you.
Ella andPlan B is a possibility. have different active ingredients
Plan B has levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate.
Levonorgestrel is similar to a high dose of birth control pills.Plan B is a possibility. stops the fertilization of eggs and sperm, just like birth control.
It is difficult for an egg to get into the uterus because of ella.
Ella is more effective after 72 hours
Plan B and its generics can only be effective for 3 days, whileElla can be taken for up to 5 days after sex.
“Plan B can’t stop ovulation at that point, even if ella can prevent it, because the pre-ovulation hormonal surge has begun.”
Research shows ella is at least 85 percent effective at this time, whilePlan B is a possibility. is closer to 75 percent, depending on when you take it.
If you take the medications as soon as possible after sex, they will be more effective.
Plan B is available OTC
Plan B is available at your pharmacy. You need a prescription to buy ella.
It depends on where you are in the post-sex timeline.
If you had sex in the past 5 days
There’s no reason for you to take a pregnancy test right now. Most experts recommend waiting at least 2 weeks after sex to test.
It is too early to know if a test will result in a negative result.
If you want to avoid pregnancies, you can take ella within 5 days of sex.
If you had sex more than 5 days ago
You should wait at least 2 weeks after sex to take a pregnancy test.
If it has been longer than 14 days, you can take a pregnancy test.
If you have a positive pregnancy test, emergency contraceptives will not work. There is a different kind of pill that you need to take to end the pregnancy.
Have some other questions about ella? Below, a quick Q&A on this emergency contraceptive.
Can you get ella over the counter?
Nope. It is a prescription.
Plan B, Take action., My way is my way., option 2, Preventeza., AfterPill., My choice., and EContra. are all OTC options.
The options are less effective for people with higher body mass index.
Where is ella sold?
Walgreens, Target, and other stores carry ella. It is possible to call ahead of time to double-check.
Will ella work if you take it after ovulation?
Hackel says that ella is most likely to be effective if you take it before you have sex.
That isn’t to say that it won’t work if you take it after ovulating (but within 5 days of sex); it just may not be as effective.
If you’re looking for an EC method that’s just as effective after ovulation as it is before, consider getting a copper IUD, suggests Yen.
Are there other EC pills you can take?
“Yep! There are many other pills that don’t require a prescription.”
This includes:
- Plan B is a possibility.
- Take action.
- My way is my way.
- option 2
- Preventeza.
- AfterPill.
- My choice.
- Aftera.
- EContra.
This is either or a situation.
“You shouldn’t take ella at the same time as another EC pill, because they could counteract each other and become useless.”
How often can you take EC pills?
It depends on what type it is.
Each menstrual cycle, ella can only be taken once.
“If needed, Levonorgestrel-based EC pills can be taken multiple times. They aren’t associated with long-term side effects.”
If you find yourself regularly using EC, consider a non-hormonal birth control option, which is more effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies than taking EC.
Can EC pills affect your period?
Probably!
About one third of people have no change in their next menstrual cycle, about one third report that their next period is early, and one third report that it is late, after taking ella.
If you have sex without contraception or experience contraceptive failure, there are several EC pills that can be used.
The form of EC called ella is safe and effective. It has been proven to prevent pregnancies when taken within 5 days of sex. If you are considering taking ella, you should talk to a healthcare professional.
Gabrielle Kassel is a New York-based sex and wellness writer and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. She’s become a morning person, tested over 200 vibrators, and eaten, drunk, and brushed with charcoal — all in the name of journalism. In her free time, she can be found reading self-help books and romance novels, bench-pressing, or pole dancing. Follow her on Instagram.
