Side Effects of iPill on Periods and Future Pregnancy [+Video]

Side effects of iPill will impact your hormonal health if abused. It is a one-time emergency solution only.

i Pill is an emergency contraceptive tablet. It can help you prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. However, if you must take it, be conscious of the side effects of iPill.

It is also called the “morning-after pill”. But you don’t have to wait until the morning – after unprotected intercourse to take it.

The i Pill & unwanted72 are progestin-only pills. Ipill is more effective the sooner you take it.

It is a one-dose regimen: you take one pill and ONLY 1 PILL.

The single pill contains 1.5 milligrams of levonorgestrel.

It is the same as that used in lower doses in many regular or daily birth control pills.

Learn about the effectiveness, dosages, price of iPills. Also learn about cheaper alternatives to the iPill :  Everything about the I Pill.

Common Side Effects of iPill

The common side effects of iPill are (3, 4, 5):

1. Nausea
2. Headaches
3. Spotting or breakthrough bleeding
4. Breast tenderness
5. Weight gain
6. Mood Changes
7. Menstrual changes
8. Fatigue
9. Abdominal Pain

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Let’s look at each of these side effects of iPill in detail below.

1. Nausea

Some women may experience mild to moderate nausea on taking the iPill, but symptoms usually subside after a short period of time. To lower chances of vomiting take the pill with food.

Anyone experiencing persistent or severe nausea should consult their physician. (6, 7)

2. Headaches

Some women are more sensitive to the fluctuations of hormones in the menstrual cycle. Research has suggested that some women are prone to migraines, due to the drop in oestrogen levels that naturally occurs just before the periods start & also during the decreasing oestrogen levels in the later phase of the menstrual cycle. (8, 9)

However, headaches are a common side effect of taking oral contraceptives, and in such a case it usually improves over time.

Headaches can also be affected by the dose and type of hormone in the pill. Some women find that their headaches and migraines improve on the pill; while others notice that their headaches and migraine get worse.

Studies have suggested that headaches are less likely to occur with the lowest dose pills.

If you suffer from headaches related to hormonal contraception, you must try changing the brand and experiment with different pill compositions. Find a pill that suits you.

3. Spotting or breakthrough bleeding after iPill

Some women may experience spotting or bleeding after taking iPill. The majority of women will have their next menstrual period at the expected time or early. (10, 11, 12, 13)

4. Breast tenderness

The sudden change of hormones in the body from the pill may cause breast tenderness. The progesterone hormone in the i pill causes the milk glands to swell.

The breasts may be tender the same day the pill is taken, and the tenderness may last for weeks. Consult your physician for acetaminophen pills. Meanwhile wearing a sports bra may help relieve the breast tenderness temporarily. (10, 11, 12, 13)

5. Weight gain

It is rare to gain any weight after taking the i pill. But it may happen to some sensitive women due to water retention or increased appetite. Any weight gain that happens is minimal and goes away in a few days.

6. Mood Changes

Mood swings may be caused because of the hormonal fluctuations.

7. Menstrual changes

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.

However, it should go away by the time of your next period. Also, expect your next period to be heavier or lighter than usual due to the massive dose of hormone contained in the i Pill.

WARNING ! : If you don’t get your periods within three weeks, get a pregnancy test to make sure you’re not pregnant and the pill has indeed worked. The menstrual period duration may increase as a result of emergency contraception.

Check out the comparison review of all available home pregnancy test kits .

8. Fatigue

Women may feel increased tiredness & dizzy besides nausea & headache on taking the i pill. Such symptoms may pass in a day or two.

9. Abdominal Pain

The most common side effects of the morning after pill, are nausea and stomach cramps. The abdominal pain subsides in some time. If it is persistent contact your physician to rule out complications.

How Does i Pill Work?

Depending upon where you are in your cycle, iPill may work in one of these ways:

1. It may prevent or delay ovulation, or
2. It may interfere with fertilization of the egg, or
3. However, it is also possible that this type of emergency birth control prevents implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus by altering its lining.

Remember that the i Pill is not an abortion pill. It does not cause any miscarriage or abortion. This means that the i Pill does not stop development of the fetus if the fertilized egg is already implanted in the uterus.

WARNING ! : The iPill does NOT work if you are already pregnant when you take it.

Check for pregnancy using a home pregnancy test kit. Check out the comparison review of all available home pregnancy test kits .

If you test positive then you need to see a doctor for abortion options. i Pill DOES NOT abort pregnancy.

How to Take the iPill

The iPill or Unwanted – 72 can be purchased over the counter at medical stores without a prescription.

Because it is most effective when taken as soon as possible (up to 72 hours 0r within 3 days after sex), consider having a ready list of 24-hour pharmacies or medical stores for unplanned emergencies.

Better yet, always be ready with more safe & reliable form of birth control. And keep condoms in your cabinet.

Reasons to take the morning-after-pill:

1. Did not use any birth control.
2. The condom slipped or tore.
3. Diaphragm slipped out of place.
4. Have missed at least two or three regular birth control pills in a row.
5. Are depending on the withdrawal method & your partner didn’t pull out in time.
6. Reason to think your birth control might not have worked.
7. Were forced to have sex.

WARNING!: The pill does not protect you from getting pregnant if you have sex after taking the pills.

Reasons to NOT take the morning-after-pill:

1. Know you are pregnant or suspect you might be.
2. Have a history of allergic to it.
3. Are on a course of antibiotics.
4. Have a history of recent abnormal vaginal bleeding that your doctor has not yet evaluated.
5. Weigh more than 74 Kgs or 165 pounds.

How Effective Is the i Pill?

There is no contraceptive method invented by man that comes with a 100% guarantee. All have specific failure rates. That said, emergency contraceptive pills have a reasonable success rate at avoiding pregnancy when taken within the stipulated time.

If you take it within 72 hours after you’ve had unprotected sex, the ipill can reduce the risk of pregnancy by up to 89%. If you take the ipill within 24 hours, it is about 95% effective.

But you should know that emergency contraceptives such as the ipill or unwanted – 72 is not as effective or safe as regular contraception.

So don’t take it as your main form of birth control. It is meant only for A ONE TIME EMERGENCY USE. Also, it does not protect you against sexually transmitted diseases.

Side effects of i Pill: Precautions & Risks

1. If you vomit within two hours after taking the drug, call a healthcare professional to find out if you should repeat the dose.
2. Antibiotics render oral contraceptives useless. Most women take emergency contraception without serious complications. But it is better to ask your doctor about possible interactions with other medications.I
3. In Europe, labelling of levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive (EC) pills states that women weighing >80 kg (176 lbs) may be more likely to experience emergency contraception failure. In other words, emergency contraception pills like the i pill & unwanted72 may not work for obese women. Taking two doses might help, however, it is best to consult a physician for other alternatives like a copper IUD or oral ulipristal.
4. If you experience severe persistent abdominal pain, see your doctor to rule out complications immediately.
5. There are unverified reports that the hormones found in oral contraceptives could increase your risk of blood clots, stroke, heart attack, or other cardiovascular problems. There is no scientific basis to these claims, you may dismiss these baseless reports. (14)

Are there any drug interactions?

Antibiotics, drugs & herbal products that could decrease the effectiveness of the iPill include barbiturates, St John’s wort, certain HIV/AIDS medications & more.

Talk to your doctor if you are on any of these to rule out drug interactions. Your birth control pills could be rendered useless by these.

For How many days is the i Pill effective?

Your Fertility is expected to revert to normal levels in 3 to 5 days after taking the iPill. Therefore, you should resume your regular method of birth control right away.

Remember that emergency contraceptives such as the iPill and unwanted – 72 does not protect against additional incidents of unprotected sex.

i Pill Side Effects on Future Pregnancy

No. Using emergency contraception (EC) like the i pill, more than once does not affect a woman’s fertility — and it will not prevent her from becoming pregnant in the future.

i Pill side effects on periods

Some women also find that the hormones in the pills can cause unexpected bleeding. It can make your next period come as much as a week earlier or a week later than usual.

Also, expect your next period to be heavier or lighter than usual depending on which time of your cycle you take the emergency contraceptive pill.

However, it should go away by the time of your next period.

Repeated careless usage may impact the menstrual cycle permanently.

Long-term Side Effects

There are no known long term side effects of the emergency contraceptive pills. However their usage should be restricted to “emergencies” only.

1. You may become pregnant, because emergency contraceptive pills can fail.

Emergency contraceptive failure rates or pregnancy rates vary between 1% and 3% in women who have used the progestin-only methods. While pregnancy rates between 3% and 7% have been reported with the combined (estrogen+progestin) hormonal method. (15, 16)

This means that your chances of getting pregnant after taking ipill within 72 hours vary between 1% and 3%.

2. Doesn’t Protect from Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Oral contraception does NOT protect against sexually transmitted illnesses and diseases.

STD’s & HIV are real problems that happen to real people.
Don’t risk HIV.
The pill is not enough when engaging multiple partners. The only way to reduce your risk of STD’s & HIV is to use condoms.

Side effects of i Pill in Hindi

गर्भ निरोधकों या जन्म नियंत्रण गोलियों के दुष्प्रभाव :

1. जी मचलना
2. सिर दर्द,
3. स्पॉटिंग
4. थकान
5. मासिक धर्म या पीरियड  हल्का, भारी, प्रारंभिक या देर से होना
6. चक्कर आना
7. स्तन कोमलता
8. मनोदशा में बदलाव,
9. पेट में दर्द

यदि iPill  लेने के दो घंटों के भीतर उल्टी हुई हो, तो यह जानने के लिए कि क्या आपको खुराक दोहरा लेना चाहिए, अपने डॉक्टर से बात करें । iPill खने से कुछ अनपेक्षित खून बह सकता है हालांकि, यह आपकी अगले मासिक चक्र के समय ठीक हो जाना चाहिए। इसके अलावा आपका अगला  मासिक धर्म हल्का या भरी हो सकता है । गोली में समाहित हार्मोन की भारी खुराक इसका कारण हो सकती है ।

चेतावनी! : अगर तीन हफ्तों के भीतर आपका मासिक धर्म नहीं आता है , तो गर्भावस्था का परीक्षण करें और सुनिश्चित करें कि आप गर्भवती नहीं हैं और गोली वास्तव में काम कर गयी है।

कई महिलाएँ बिना किसी दिक़्क़त के आपातकालीन गर्भनिरोधक जैसे की iPill ले पाती हैं। लेकिन अन्य दवाइयों  आपातकालीन गर्भनिरोधक  को बीसर ना बना दे इसका ख़याल रखना चाहिए । इस बारे में अपने डॉक्टर से पूछना बेहतर है। उदाहरण के लिए एंटीबायोटिक दवाएँ गर्भ निरोधकों को बेकार कर सकती हैं।
नोट: यदि आप दवा लेने के 2 घंटे के भीतर उल्टी कर देती हैं, तो यह जानने के लिए अपने डॉक्टर को फोन करें कि आपको खुराक दोहराने की आवश्यकता तो नहीं ?
यदि आपको गंभीर पेट दर्द का अनुभव है, तो तुरंत अपने डॉक्टर से मिलें।

FAQ’s on Side Effects of i Pill

References:

1. The effect of hormones in the contraceptive pill on migraine. Migraine Trust
2.  Levonorgestrel (By mouth). NCBI.
3. Failure of the emergency contraceptive levonorgestrel and the risk of adverse effects in pregnancy and on fetal development: an observational cohort study. De Santis M, Cavaliere AF, Straface G, Carducci B, Caruso A. NCBI.
4. Menstrual bleeding patterns following levonorgestrel emergency contraception. Erin Gainer, Bruno Kenfack, Emile Mboudou, Anderson Sama Doh, and Jean Bouyer. NCBI.
5. Emergency contraception review: evidence-based recommendations for clinicians. Kelly Cleland, Elizabeth G. Raymond, Elizabeth Westley, and James Trussell, PhD. NCBI.
6. Prevention and management of nausea and vomiting with emergency contraception: a systematic review. Rodriguez MI, Godfrey EM, Warden M, Curtis KM. NCBI.
7. Emergency contraception review: evidence-based recommendations for clinicians. Kelly Cleland, MPA, MPH,1 Elizabeth G. Raymond, MD, MPH,2 Elizabeth Westley, MPH, and James Trussell. NCBI.
8. Hormonal Contraceptive Options for Women With Headache: A Review of the Evidence. Andrea G Edlow, MD, MSc and Deborah Bartz, MD, MPH. NCBI.
9. Hormonal contraception in women with migraine: is progestogen-only contraception a better choice? Rossella E Nappi, Gabriele S Merki-Feld, Erica Terreno, Alice Pellegrinelli, and Michele Viana. NCBI.
10. Menstrual bleeding patterns following levonorgestrel emergency contraception. Erin Gainer, Bruno Kenfack, Emile Mboudou, Anderson Sama Doh, and Jean Bouyer. NCBI.
11. Vaginal bleeding following the use of a single dose of 1.5mg levonorgestrel (LNG) for emergency contraception. Arowojolu A, Okewole IA. NCBI.
12. Bleeding patterns after use of levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pills. Raymond EG, Goldberg A, Trussell J, Hays M, Roach E, Taylor D. NCBI.
13. Bleeding after use of the levonorgestrel regimen of emergency contraception: concordance between women’s reports of their menstrual periods and an objective algorithm. Trussell J. NCBI.