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Levonelle
Levonelle (also known as ‘Plan B’ or ‘the 3 Day Morning After Pill’) is a type of emergency contraception. It helps to prevent pregnancy by affecting hormones to delay ovulation. For maximum effectiveness, take it as soon as possible after an incident of unprotected sex or contraception failure. Also, it is best to use it in the first half of a woman’s menstrual cycle and within 24 hours of an incident, otherwise it may not be as effective at preventing pregnancy. Let’s get into some commonly asked questions about Levonelle and emergency contraception.
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Price range: £12.99 through £22.99
Levonelle is the brand name for a medication called Levonorgestrel; you may also know it as the ‘morning after pill’. Levonelle is a form of Emergency Contraceptive Pill that can be taken if a woman has had unprotected sex or if their normal contraception has failed (e.g condom breaking, forgetting to take contraceptive pill). To be effective at preventing pregnancy, Levonelle has to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex/contraception failure.
Emergency Contraception pills (or EC Pills) like Levonelle (or Levonorgestrel) work to help prevent pregnancy by delaying ovulation (the release of an egg from ovaries). It does this by changing the balance of hormones that regulate menstruation and ovulation.
As the medication works this way, the timing of when to take Levonelle is very important for its effectiveness. If (in a standard 28-day cycle) you are post-day 14 of your menstrual cycle, you may have already ovulated. In this case, due to how Levonelle works, it may not be as effective at preventing pregnancy. To maximise the effectiveness of Levonelle, you take one dose within 72 hours (preferably within 24 hours) of unprotected sex/or contraception failure. It is best to consult a pharmacist if you have any concerns or further questions about Levonelle.
For better chances at preventing pregnancy, as soon as possible after the incident of unprotected sex or contraception failure, you should take Levonelle. It is most effective if you take it within the first 24 hours but you can take it up to 72 hours after the incident.
Levonelle is a tablet that you swallow with water. Some people experience vomiting or diarrhoea within 2 hours of taking Levonelle. If this happens, speak to your healthcare provider or a pharmacist because you will likely need another tablet. After taking Levonelle, use condoms for at least a week after and restart using your oral contraception (if you are using any) immediately as well.
As mentioned, the time frames of when to take Levonelle are very important to the effectiveness of the medication at preventing pregnancy. For the best chances at preventing pregnancy, take it as soon as possible (or within 24 hours) after an incident of unprotected sex or contraception failure. You can take Levonelle up to 72 hours after the incident.
The other aspect of time frames that is important is at what point in your menstrual cycle you take the Levonelle tablet. Every woman’s cycle is different, but let’s use the example of the standard 28-day cycle to explain this for the moment. In this standard cycle, day 14 is when ovulation occurs. If you are taking Levonelle for an incident of unprotected sex/contraceptive failure in the second half of your menstrual cycle, the medication may not be as effective at preventing pregnancy. This is because the main way Levonelle works is by preventing ovulation. In the second half of your menstrual cycle, ovulation has probably already occurred. In this case, you should still take Levonelle as soon as possible and consult a pharmacist/healthcare provider for advice on next steps. They may recommend that you get an intrauterine device (or copper coil) fitted.
Levonelle is an effective medication to prevent pregnancy, especially if taken within 24 hours of an incident of unprotected sex or contraception failure; some studies put the effectiveness at 95%. While you can take Levonelle for up to 72 hours after the incident, the medication’s effectiveness as emergency contraception decreases over time. Note that you may need to take a different type of Plan B Pill After 3 Days following unprotected sex. Additionally, if you take Levonelle in the second half of your menstrual cycle (when it is likely that ovulation has already occurred), Levonelle may not be as effective. Other factors affecting how effective Levonelle is at preventing pregnancy including high body mass index and interactions with other medications.
Like all medications, Levonelle does comes with some side effects and contraindications. Some common side effects include:
All the Plan B pill (or Levonelle) hormonal changes can have an effect on your next period. In fact, the period changes can be different for everyone, for some people their period may come early or late, or be heavier than usual. If you are worried about how your period is affected or if the pill did not work, consult a pharmacist or your healthcare provider for advice on next steps.
The main alternative to Levonelle is a pill called ellaOne which contains ulipristal acetate. They both work by stopping or delaying the release of an egg from the ovaries but the difference is ellaOne can be taken up to 120 hours (rather than the 72 hour time frame with Levonelle) after unprotected sex or contraception failure. Speak to a pharmacist, if you have further questions about Levonelle alternatives.
Emergency contraception should not be used as regular contraception. If contraception failure or unprotected sex has happened more than once in a menstrual cycle, you can take Levonelle more than once with a pharmacist/healthcare provider’s guidance. It may be helpful to consider longer term contraception options like the intrauterine device if you are needing emergency contraception frequently.
You can get the emergency pill from pharmacies in person or from online providers. They will likely ask you to complete a short consultation to assess the situation and check that the pill is the most suitable for you.
You can buy the morning after pill in most pharmacies in the UK. When you ask for the pill, they will likely ask you a few questions to get a better sense of the situation so that they can give you the emergency contraption that is most suitable for you. There will also be a form to fill in to check that you understand what the pill entails.
We understand that for some people, this can be an embarrassing or stressful experience in person. It may also be a bit inconvenient to go to a pharmacy in person. You can get Levonelle online here at Meds For Less with next day Morning After Pill Delivery with discreet packaging. Safe, and private, straight to your door.
In the UK, there are some places where you can get the morning after pill (or Plan B Pill UK) for free. Some of these places include: sexual health clinics, many General Practise surgeries, young people’s sexual health services, some pharmacies, and some NHS walk-in centres.
Yes, technically a man can buy the morning after pill but without the woman present, pharmacies may not sell him the pill. It is not a specific law that the woman has to buy the morning after pill, however, most pharmacies will request to speak to the woman involved as they have a duty of care. This may mean that if the man tries to buy the morning after pill alone, his request may be rejected.