One of the most relied on method of preventing unwanted pregnancy after unprotected sex is oral contraceptive pills or birth control pills. Morning-After pill is the most preferred pill that is supposed to be taken 48-120 hours after unprotected sex. Although, there are also other forms of emergency contraception such as special intrauterine devices which are considered to be more efficient than the pills. Even though these pills are highly effective and helpful  but doctors generally do not recommend using this as a regular form of birth control measure. Some of the side effects of emergency contraception pills are listed as below:

11 Side Effects of Emergency Contraception Decoded

1. Increased appetite

Yes, birth control pills lead to an increase in the appetite. But, in case you do not want to gain your weight, it is important that you maintain a healthy diet and live an active life. Apart from this, these pills also make the water stay in the body of an organism.

2. Regularity

This is the key to ensure that you do not get pregnant by any chance. This means that you have to be regular in taking these pills for effective results. Even if you have been regular in taking all the pills, but miss out on a single one then, this can simultaneously increase your chances of getting pregnant.

3. Infertility

While taking contraceptive pills, it is important for you to remember that these pills do not provide you with any protection from the  sexually transmitted Diseases (STDs). Certain STDs can therefore, lead to infertility which is a long term side effect that can be caused due to the unprotected sex.

4. Cancer

Although, there have been no proven studies to show that there are any permanent damages that can be caused to women taking Morning After Pill. But, these women do put themselves at risk for diseases like cancer because of the chemicals included in the pills in high doses.

5. Nausea and vomiting

These are the common side effects faced by many women when estrogen containing ECPs are taken without antiemetics. Adolescent girls who vomit for more than an hour do not really need to retake the pills because this is a sign that absorption has occurred and vomiting is thus the result of the treatment.

6. Irregular periods

Painful menstruation and nausea are the short term effects of contraceptive pills. These can often lead to unexpected bleeding, which is however not dangerous. It can further lead to irregularity in your periods due to which your periods can either come a bit early or late the next time.

7. Breast cancer

It has been found that oral contraceptive pills are linked to a reduced risk of ovarian cancer. This means, that more a woman used oral contraceptives, lesser are her chances of ovarian cancer. However, studies require further research regarding oral contraceptives and cancer which is right now a bit inconsistent.

8. The consensus

Although, Plan B is the best alternative as an emergency contraceptive pill when it comes to unwanted pregnancies. But, it is also recommended by the doctors that these pills should not be taken on a regular basis. If a couple have sex even twice a month and rely on the pills, it is fine but if it exceeds more than that , then you should not indulge onto these pills every single time.

9. Ectopic pregnancy

Oral contraceptive pills are supposed to prevent the fertilised egg from implanting in the uterus. But if you have already taken the pill after the pregnancy has occurred long back, then there are chances that it will be ectopic.

10. Not suitable during certain medications

Birth control pills are considered safe but these should not be taken if a woman is on a certain medication. For instance, you should restrict yourself from its use if you are on medications for tuberculosis, HIV or epilopsy. These are also not recommended for use if you are using some herbal remedies for the treatment such as St. John’s Wort.

11.  Short term effects

There are a number of common side effects of birth control pills. These include abdominal pan, spotting, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. This can also lead to tenderness, dizziness, headache and light-headedness which is pretty less common and usually become better within a few days.

While there are no permanent damages that these pills can cause to a woman’s body, you should still consult your doctor before taking them. One thing to be made sure is that you should not always use these pills as a regular method to prevent unwanted pregnancy. You can rather have protected sex by using condoms. These pills should only be used when something goes wrong unknowingly.