can the morning after pill affect periods?
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Using the morning-after pill may delay your period by up to one week. If you don't get your period within three to four weeks of taking the morning-after pill, take a pregnancy test. Normally, you don't need to contact your health care provider after using the morning-after pill.
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Emergency contraceptives can also trigger an early period. If you just started taking birth control or missed a couple of pills then took the morning after pill as a precautionary measure, you may have two periods that month.
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Will Plan B® affect my period? Plan B® has no long-term effect on your menstrual cycle. Most women will get their next period when expected, and their cycle will continue as normal. For some women, their period can come earlier or later than usual and be lighter or heavier.
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Sometimes, emergency contraception can change the length of your monthly menstrual cycle, making your next period come as much as a week earlier or a week later than usual. Some women also find that the hormones in the pills can cause unexpected bleeding, but this is not a common or serious side effect.
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It is not unusual for the morning after pill to cause irregular bleeding. You may notice some spotting or unusual bleeding, which may persist until your next period.
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If you normally use birth control pills for contraception, you should continue taking your pill on your regular schedule when you use any of these hormonal emergency contraception options. The morning after pill does not prevent you from becoming pregnant after you take it.
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Nausea can be a side effect of the morning after pill. If you do experience upset stomach or vomiting with the morning after pill, this typically lasts no more than a day or two.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report that heavier periods are relatively common after Plan B, occurring in as many as 31% of people who have taken the drug. However, a person should not expect to experience very heavy bleeding after using Plan B — even days or weeks later.
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Your first period after taking Plan B could be somewhat lighter or heavier than is normal for you. Everyone is different, so some people will have spotting and bleeding before their next period and some won't. There's no way to know in advance how your body will react to the increase in hormones.
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So, why does the morning after pill delay periods? The answer lies in the fact that Plan B contains levonorgestel hormones. These are the same hormones found in the common birth control pill, but Plan B contains a higher dose of the levonorgestel hormone since you are only meant to take it once.
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It's also normal for your period to be heavier or lighter, or earlier or later than usual after taking EC. If you take the morning-after pill frequently, it can make your period irregular. That's one reason why using it as a regular form of birth control isn't a good idea.
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The morning after pill can cause side effects but it is very rare for it to cause any serious health problems. However, it is not suitable for regular use and you should avoid using it on a regular basis.
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The majority of women will have their next menstrual period at the expected time or early. When plan B® is used repeatedly (more than once in a menstrual cycle, or more than occasional once-a-month use), menstrual changes may occur, including a shorter or longer cycle and a heavier or lighter period than normal.
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The morning after pill contains similar hormones as your normal contraceptive pill, just in a higher dose. That way, it can prevent pregnancy even when you have had unprotected sex. Due to the higher dose of hormones, it is more likely to cause noticeable side effects.
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Plan B contains a progestin called levonorgestrel. It's the same hormone used in oral contraceptives, but in a single, higher dose. It causes a change in hormone levels, which can affect the usual pattern of your menstrual cycle.
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The length of the second cycle after taking levonorgestrel returned to normal. Though uncommon, bleeding between menstrual periods in either cycle one or cycle two occurred in significantly more among women taking Plan B (13%) than among controls (7%).
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However, it is possible that Plan B One-Step may cause your next period to be heavier or lighter than usual. It may also come earlier or later than is normal for you. If you don't get your period within three weeks, get a pregnancy test to make sure you're not pregnant.