Find out if you can take the morning after pill while breastfeeding

Even if you are wondering if you can take the morning after pill while breastfeeding, it is important that before you have some basic notions about the operation of this emergency contraceptive.

The morning after pill It is a one-dose tablet that is usually made up of high doses of hormones, mainly levonorgestrel, which is a synthetic secretion that mimics the effect of progesterone. In this way, the emergency partition has the following functions:

• Avoid ovulation: this contraceptive method delays this process so that the sperm cannot fertilize the egg.
• It hinders the sperm from reaching the egg: once the ovum has detached from the ovaries, what this treatment does is to thicken the cervical mucus so that the sperm do not reach the ovum.
• Eject the fertilized ovum: in the event that the sperm have finally succeeded in fertilizing the ovum, what causes the emergency pill is that it does not fixate on the walls of the uterus.

The postcoital pill is a contraceptive method that should only be used when we have had unprotected sexual intercourse or when the treatments we use have been used incorrectly. Its effectiveness is approximately in 94% depending on 2 main factors: on the one hand, whether we are in the ovulation phase or close to the fertile days, and on the other hand, the period of time between the risk ratio and the moment in which we take the contraceptive.

Therefore, below we will explain how to take the emergency pill correctly:

• If you take the pill during first 24 hours Following unprotected intercourse, this treatment will be approximately 94% effective.
• If you use this method between 24 and 48 hours Later, the effectiveness of the morning after pill will decrease by approximately 85%.
• If it is consumed between 48 and 78 hours After intercourse, the effectiveness of this contraceptive will be reduced by up to 58%.

After 72 hours after unprotected intercourse, this contraceptive method will no longer be effective.

Although it is unlikely to become pregnant during the first 6 months of breastfeeding, there is a possibility in the event that the infant has already had her first period after delivery and / or has not exclusively breastfed the infant during that period. weather. Therefore, it is normal that if during that time you have had an unprotected sexual intercourse and you want to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, you ask yourself: “Can I take the morning after pill if I am breastfeeding?”

The answer is yes, as long as the emergency pills are formulated with levonorgestrel. Although it is a hormonal compound, this contraceptive treatment will not cause any alteration in the quantity or composition of the breast milk of the person who uses it. It also does not cause any alteration in the duration of the lactation period or any side effects in the baby who consumes breast milk.

However, it is important that you do not consume this contraceptive treatment more than 2 times a year or that you use it as a regular method as it can cause some health risks for the woman who uses them.

As we have indicated in the previous section, the morning after pill does not produce any alteration if it is taken during breastfeeding. However, in other cases this contraceptive treatment should not be taken without consult a doctor beforehand.

Next, we will inform you about the cases in which the postcoital pill is contraindicated:

• Ulcerative colitis
• Breast cancer
• Migraines of a severe nature
• Women who previously had an ectopic pregnancy
• Inflammation of the fallopian tubes
• Women taking cyclosporine treatments
• Heart problems
• Venous thrombosis

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