If the pill is taken at the same time every day without missing any days, its failure rate is only 0.1 percent. However, factoring in human error, studies in the United States have found the failure rate to be slightly higher, at 3 percent.
Possible side effects: Spotting, headaches, depression and breast tenderness. Users of birth control pills may also have a higher risk of certain serious conditions such as blood clots, stroke, heart attack and liver tumors. "; PillCompare_040203[i++] = new Array("","Morning after pills","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); PillCompare_040203[i-1].body = "Morning after pills are used as an emergency backup to reduce the risk of pregnancy after unprotected sex has occurred. Like standard birth control pills, most morning after pills contain estrogen and progestin, or progestin only, but in much higher doses than those in birth control pills.
Morning after pills consist of two doses of medication taken 12 hours apart. The first dose is taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse and the second dose is taken 12 hours later. The surge in hormone levels causes the ovary to delay an egg’s release and may also block a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. In addition, the mucus around the cervix may become thicker preventing sperm from traveling into the fallopian tube. If a fertilized egg has already implanted in the uterus, the pills will not end the pregnancy.
The sooner morning after pills are taken after unprotected sex, the more effective they are. If taken within 72 hours, they can reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75 to 89 percent.
Possible side effects: Nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, fluid retention, dizziness, and headaches. Many women choose to take an over-the-counter anti-nausea medication with morning after pills to prevent vomiting."; PillCompare_040203[i++] = new Array("","Abortion pills or RU-486","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); PillCompare_040203[i-1].body = "Unlike birth control pills and morning after pills, so-called \"abortion pills,\" also known as RU-486, are used after a woman has become pregnant, or more specifically, after a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the uterus. These pills cause the uterus to expel the egg, ending the pregnancy.
Abortion pills contain two synthetic hormones, known as mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used to chemically induce abortions in women five-to-nine weeks pregnant. The process involves at least three visits to a physician’s office.
During the first visit, a woman is given a physical exam and then swallows medication containing the hormone mifepristone. As it takes effect in the body, the hormone blocks the action of progesterone, which maintains the uterus’ nutrient-rich lining during pregnancy. The embryo then dies as the lining disintegrates.
During the second office visit, scheduled 36 to 48 hours later, the woman is given misoprostol, a synthetic prostaglandin, which causes uterine contractions and expels the uterine lining and embryo. A third office visit about 2 weeks later is used to determine whether the abortion was complete and whether an additional surgical abortion is necessary.
Possible side effects: Pain, bleeding, nausea, vomiting and, in several rare cases, death from complications."; // END editorial data