By Natasha Clark
It’s 3 a.m., the condom breaks, your heart stops and panic sets in.
But before you drive yourself crazy thinking about how you are not ready to be a parent or make that decision of whether you’re going keep the baby, you should calm down, take a deep breath. Emergency contraceptive (EC) is now available at the University’s Health and Wellness Center.
EC is one of most effective ways of preventing an unintended pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure, however, it is not meant for routine birth control use, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Web site (FDA).
Plan B, a brand of EC, was made available over-the-counter for women and men over the age of 18 by the FDA on Aug. 24, 2006, after more than 18 months of delay, according to Planned Parenthood’s Website. Back in December 2005, Maureen Houck, director of the Health and Wellness Center, said she believed the FDA’s decision to delay approval for over-the counter selling of Plan B was a political issue rather than a medical issue.
“There was a lot more pressure the second time because scientific research documented that it was a safe drug that could certainly be sold over the counter,” Houck said.
University students can obtain Plan B for $35 at the Health and Wellness Center through a “fairly quick and painless process,” Houck said.
Houck said students should make an appointment, but, if no appointments are available they are still encouraged to come in as soon as possible and they will be placed on a walk-in list.
During their visit, the student will be seen by a healthcare provider, a nurse, a physician or a nurse practitioner. The student will be advised of the additional services and methods of contraception available. They will be asked if there were any problems that related to the need for Plan B and then the E.C. pill will be dispensed to the student, Houck said.
“One of the reasons health services are here is to be certainly proactive for our students and have them make the best choices in their health care,” Houck said. “Not only are we dispensing the medication for them, but we’re also assisting them in whatever care they would need to go forward.”
Plan B works by either preventing ovulation, which is the releasing of an egg by the ovary, or by preventing fertilization, which is when the sperm joins the egg. Plan B is a form of contraception, which means it prevents pregnancy before it happens, according to Planned Parenthood’s Web site.
“It’s great as a backup,” Nancy O’Keefe, senior vice president of health services at Planned Parenthood in Hempstead, said. “There’s a reason why it’s called an emergency contraceptive, it’s not as effective. We really encourage people to come in and get a more reliable method of birth control.”
Plan B can be taken up to 120 hours or five days after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure, according to Planned Parenthood’s Web site. However, when taken within 72 hours or three days, Plan B is 75- 89 percent effective, according to the makers of Plan B, www.goplanbB.com. This means seven out of every eight women who would have gotten pregnant will not get pregnant, according to the drug manufacturer’s Web site, goplanB.com.
“It’s most effective in the first 24 hours,” O’Keefe said. “The sooner it’s taken the more effective it will be.”
Availability of Plan B over the counter could prevent up to 1.7 million unintended pregnancies and could prevent 800,000 abortions a year in the United States alone, according to Planned Parenthood’s Website.
“Women have the right to have control over their reproductive organs,” Nick Bond, a sophomore political science and sociology major, said. “If something as severe as a rape occurs, she should be able to have access to an emergency contraceptive.”
Plan B contains the same hormones found in birth control just a higher dose. It is taken in two doses, 12 hours apart.
According to Planned Parenthood’s Website, there have been no serious complications from the millions of women who have used emergency contraceptives. Side effects are low, with less than one in four women feeling nauseous after taking Plan B.
Women who take Plan B should expect their period to come around the same time they usually get it. However, if they do not get their period, they should take a pregnancy test and see a healthcare provider immediately, Houck said.
O’Keefe said Planned Parenthood has not seen a change in the amount of Plan B they have sold since the drug has been made over-the-counter. “Plan B is seen as an emergency thing, your condom tore, a girl gets raped,” Megan O’Brien, a junior public relations major, said. “It’s a good thing to have around. I don’t see it being misused in the future.”
There is also no study or data available that shows women are being less careful with easier access to EC, according to O’Keefe.
“Most women make good choices,” O’Keefe said. “But things happen, that’s why it’s called emergency contraceptives.” Healthcare providers continue to warn women not to confuse Plan B for the abortion pill. Plan B will not do anything to a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus, and the pregnancy will continue, according to the FDA’s Website.
“Plan B is not the abortion pill,” Houck said. “So if you’re pregnant you’re going to stay pregnant.”
Houck, believes women should always have an extra pack of Plan B on hand in case of an emergency.
Plan B should last for at least three years, but women are warned to check the expiration date before taking all medications, O’Keefe said.
Plan B will only be sold in pharmacies and stores staffed by a licensed pharmacist. In order to purchase Plan B over the counter, personal identification showing proof of age 18 is required, according to the FDA’s Website.
Women and men 18 and older can purchase Plan B from Hempstead’s Planned Parenthood for $25.
Teens under 18 can still access Plan B with a prescription. Planned Parenthood along with the University’s Health and Wellness Center, said to remember Plan B is not 100 percent effective and it does not protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Students are reminded to use at least two methods of contraception.