- More effective than combined pills for emergency
contraception
- Requires 2 doses, 12 hours apart
- Each dose contains 750 mcg levonorgestrel
- Much less likely to cause nausea and vomiting than
combined pills
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Another option for emergency contraception is a special dosage
of progestin-only pills. Research indicates that POPs are a
more effective form of emergency contraception than the special
regimens of combined oral contraceptives, reducing the risk
of pregnancy by up to 85 percent.
Two doses of pills should be taken: the first within 72 hours
after unprotected intercourse and the second 12 hours later.
Each of the two doses of pills should contain at least 750 micrograms
of levonorgestrel. In some countries, progestin-only emergency
contraception is available prepackaged, containing each required
dose in one tablet.
Women using POPs for emergency contraception have a much lower
incidence of nausea and vomiting compared to those using COCs.
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Learner Note: The common
low-dose pills contain 30 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol
and 150 micrograms of levonorgestrel. The common high-dose
pills contain 50 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol and
250 micrograms of levonorgestrel.
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