Emergency Contraceptive Pills in the Philippines

Update: 11/26/2018: Hi there! Team Prochoice here. I’ve been receiving a lot of emails regarding my blog lately. I haven’t been able to reply to all of you sorry. You can reach me through facebook instead. 

Anna Dela Cruz (Team Prochoice)

Talk to you soon! ❤️

Well hello there. 

You probably had unprotected sex and searching for a solution?

I decided to make this blog to help other young women especially teens who engage in active sex without protection. Or maybe they had protection but it failed (the condom broke xD).

Sadly, Plan B or other branded Morning after Pills are not available in the Philippines.

But do not worry.  There are still alternatives for them.

Background on ECPs.

Emergency Contraceptive Pills DO NOT ELIMINATE THE POSSIBILITY OF PREGNANCY. IT ONLY REDUCES THE RISK OF PREGNANCY. So it is better to take it as soon as possible after you had unprotected sex for higher effectiveness.

My advice to those who are sexually active, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE IT A HABIT OF TAKING ECPS EVERY TIME YOU HAVE UNPROTECTED SEX. It will put the woman's life at risk. GET REGULAR BIRTH CONTROL.


ECPs work before ovualtion, so if you have already ovulated, there might be a chance that it will not work.

Here are some ECPs / Emergency Contraceptive Pills that can be found in the Philippines.

In 28-day packs, only the first 21 pills can be used in the Philippines

Dosage in taking ECPs:
Take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later:

• Femenal
•  Nordiol

Dosage in taking ECPs:

Take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later.

• Charlize

•   Lady

•   Nordette

•   Rigevidon 21 + 7

•   Seif

•   Trust Pills

Among the ECPs listed, I used Nordette. I read that it was already phased out. But no. I bought Nordette last July 3,2016 from Mercury Drugstore in our city and it costs 176.00.

Nordette is an over-the-counter drug. You can get it without prescription, so as the other ECPs listed.

Instructions:

1. You must make sure that it has been only 120 hours or 5 days since you last had unprotected sex. But I suggest you take it in less than 24 hours or an hour after you had sex for increased effectiveness. (Some say that it still works after 150 hours but hey, every woman is different)

2. Buy a pack of any of the listed ECPs above. Some packs have 28 pills and some have 21 pills. But its all the same. The active ingredient that you need is the levonor­gestrel. As long as you buy in trusted stores like Mercury and Watsons, there will not be a problem. Generic drugs for these ECPs are sometimes less effective some say.

3. Take 4 active pills at once.  If you got the 28 pack, don't take the placebo pills or the inactive ones. DON'T FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PACK. (EXAMPLE: TAKE ONE A DAY)  The ECP will not work if you take it only once a day. 

4. After 12 hours, take another 4 active pills. If you vomit within an hour, take 4 pills again.

5. Wait for the Withdrawal Bleeding after 5-7 days (it can extend up to 10 days). Avoid stress and just keep calm as you wait for your withdrawal bleeding, do not panic.

6. Take a Pregnancy Test after 3 weeks after the deed to make sure. *the most accurate time to take a Pregnancy test after unprotected sex is 3 weeks after the deed.

When can I take a pregnancy test and be sure that it is accurate?

If it has been at least 10 days since you had unprotected sex and you have not gotten your period when you think you should have, you can take a home pregnancy test to find out if you are pregnant. Before that, a negative test result won’t be accurate, and you definitely can’t tell if you’re going to get pregnant in the first few days after sex – the time when you would be taking emergency contraceptive pills (sometimes called "morning after pills" or "day after pills"). If the test is negative but you are still worried, you can take a second home pregnancy test in another week. If the result is positive, you should contact your health care provider to discuss your options, including prenatal care or abortion.

If you think you might already be pregnant because your period is late, you can take a home pregnancy test before using emergency contraception – although it’s not necessary from a medical standpoint. Emergency contraceptive pills won’t work if you are already pregnant, and they will not harm you or your fetus 

source : http://ec.princeton.edu/emergency-contraception.html

Side effects

In my experience: nausea, bloating, dizziness, lower abdominal cramps, sore breasts and strong mood swings. But for some ladies, they don't experience the side effects (lucky them xD) because every woman is different.

Withdrawal Bleeding

There is some confusion about the withdrawal bleeding and implantation bleeding. You might want to search the internet about the differences about these two for more clarification.

Withdrawal Bleeding is not an assurance that you are not pregnant. It is just the effect of the high doses of hormones that you took in. But the chances of pregnancy are highly unlikely. 

The date of when you had your WB is the new date of your next menstrual period. It may be earlier than the said date or it might be delayed for 1 week. This is because ECPs change the cycle of a woman. Research says that it will take about 6 months for a woman's cycle to get back to normal.

In my case, I got my Withdrawal Bleeding exactly 7 days after the 2nd dose. My 2nd dose was July 3, 2016 at 7:50 pm and the Withdrawal Bleeding came in July 10, 2016 at about 2 pm. Before I had the WB, I had severe lower abdominal cramps for about an hour and finally it came out. It was BROWNISH in color, had some small clots and lasted for 2-3 days. 

Update:
 I had my period this month, August 9,2016 - August 12, 2016. It was really heavy with large clots and I soaked 3-4 napkins a day. An obvious sign that I'm not preggy and the ECP worked :) 

Tips and Reminders

1. I suggest that before you have sex, use protection such as condoms, spermicides and buy the ECPs beforehand in case the condom breaks. 

2. If you are sexually active, GET YOURSELF TO AN OB-GYNE and USE REGULAR BIRTH CONTROL METHODS. In my case, I used the monthly injectable NORIFAM until May 2016 and I'm planning to use it again. I can tell you its really effective :) You ask more of it from your OB :)

3. Please be reminded that the ECPs are only used for EMERGENCIES. Overdosing and misuse of these medicines can lead to cancer according so some sources. So please, use it just once and never again.

4. ECPs are less effective than regular birth control methods. 

5. Frequent use of ECPs result to lesser effectivity. So, kapag 3rd time na, pwedeng less effective na sya. 

6. If you are already pregnant, ECPs won't work anymore. They are not abortion pills. 

7. DO NOT HAVE SEX AFTER TAKING THE ECP. Sheesh you're gonna give yourself another episode of paranoia. (Malaki na yan. Sa mga hindi makakaintindi bahala na kayo hahaha) 

8. Follow the steps as instructed. Do not make your own rules because there would be a chance that the ECP WON'T WORK.

9. If you don't want to experience this kind of situation again, refrain or abstain from having sex. If you really love each other, you can wait until the time you get married and you can have sex all you want (hahaha xD)

Well for me, I believe its time for the RH Bill to be approved as many Filipinas are at risk of unplanned pregnancy. As much as the Catholic Church disapproves of it, many teens are engaging in such act and most of them, gets pregnant and would sometimes result to abortion.

Your body is your choice :)

Goodluck ladies! 

Feel free to ask questions :) I'll answer the best I can. 

You can also share your experiences in using these ECPs :)

I am not a doctor whatsoever. Im just an ordinary person who wants to help other ladies in need. 

all the best,

teamprochoice

*ps, I repeat, ECPs do not abort the child if you are already pregnant. The ECPs have no effect on the baby if taken. Face the responsibility :)

*ps again. MAGBASA TAYO NG MAAYOS PARA HINDI PAULIT ULIT :DDDD