I am a 24-year-old sexually active woman. Last week, I had protected sex with my boyfriend, but unfortunately, the condom broke in the middle of the act. I realised this only once he withdrew after ejaculation. Since I was in my fertile period, I was very bothered about getting pregnant. So my boyfriend and I rushed to the nearest medical stores and purchased two strips of emergency contraceptives. I took one immediately, and once I got back home, I took the other one. I know I shouldn’t have, but I just wanted to be extra sure. A friend of mine told me that these pills could be dangerous and have more than one could cause serious side effects. I just want to know if what I did was the right thing.
This query has been answered by Dr Bandita Sinha, gynaecologist and obstetrician at Fortis Hospital, Mumbai.
Hi, I, unfortunately, have to agree with your friend when she says that emergency contraceptives could cause side effects. These pills are meant to be taken only in the case of an emergency. But that doesn’t mean you ignore basic safety precautions for sex.
A particular brand of over-the-counter emergency contraceptive pills is very popular among young girls today because it is well-advertised on TV and in the print media. The truth is, I have young girls coming in on a daily basis with irregular periods or hormonal imbalance. In most cases, the culprit is the emergency contraceptives.
Consuming just one pill can cause serious hormonal disturbances in young women. Taking more than that would obviously cause more serious side effects. Some of the less serious effects include vomiting, spotting, inter-menstrual bleeding and heavy bleeding during periods. In some cases, it can also cause ovarian cysts.
I would suggest that you exercise caution while having sex and use these pills only when you have a real emergency. One pill is enough to avoid pregnancy; so come what may do not overdose on them.
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