Emergency contraception (the morning-after pill) in Kiveton Park

Your options

There are two types of emergency contraception. Our pharmacist will explain which is suitable for you.

• The emergency contraceptive pill (morning-after pill). There are two types. Depending on which one is suitable, it needs to be taken within 3 days (72 hours) or 5 days (120 hours) of unprotected sex.
• The copper IUD (intrauterine device, or coil). This is the most effective type of emergency contraception. It can be fitted up to 5 days after unprotected sex, or in some cases up to 5 days after you’re likely to have ovulated, and can stay in as ongoing contraception. It’s fitted by a trained nurse or doctor at a sexual health clinic or some GP surgeries, not in the pharmacy. If an IUD may suit you, we’ll help you find a local clinic.

Some things can affect which option is best for you. These include your weight, other medicines you take (including some epilepsy and HIV medicines and the herbal remedy St John’s wort), whether you’re breastfeeding, and where you are in your cycle. Please tell the pharmacist about anything you’re taking.

What happens at your consultation

1. In the pharmacy or by phone. Walk in and say at the counter that you’d like to speak to the pharmacist about emergency contraception (you don’t need to give any details there), or call 01909 268 001 to book a telephone appointment. Under-16s are always seen face to face.
2. Private and confidential. In the pharmacy, you’ll talk to the pharmacist in our private consultation room. A telephone consultation is just as confidential.
3. A few questions. We’ll ask when you had unprotected sex, about your periods, your health and any medicines you take. Your answers help us find the safest, most effective option.
4. Advice and next steps. If the emergency pill is suitable, we can usually provide it there and then. After a telephone consultation, you can collect it from the pharmacy or we can deliver it to you. If the copper IUD would suit you better, or emergency contraception from the pharmacy isn’t suitable, we’ll refer you to a local sexual health service.
5. Aftercare. We’ll explain what to expect, when to take a pregnancy test and how to start or restart regular contraception. With one type of emergency pill, you may need to wait 5 days before restarting hormonal contraception.

Confidential, and under-16s can be seen

Your consultation is confidential. Young people under 16 can be seen by our pharmacist. Under-16s are always seen face to face in the pharmacy, not by telephone. We won’t tell parents, carers or your school. We’d only ever share information if we were worried that you or someone else was at serious risk of harm, and we’d talk to you about it first wherever possible.

After taking emergency contraception

• If you’re sick (vomit) within 3 hours of taking the emergency pill, contact us or another healthcare professional straight away, because you may need another dose.
• Your next period may come earlier or later than usual. Take a pregnancy test if your period is more than 7 days late, or is unusually light or short. Take the test at least 3 weeks after unprotected sex.
• Emergency contraception doesn’t protect you against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and it doesn’t keep protecting you for the rest of your cycle. Use condoms until your regular contraception is working.
• Think about regular contraception. You can get ongoing contraception free on the NHS from Kiveton Pharmacy.

When to get urgent help

If we’re closed (we’re closed on Sundays), you can get emergency contraception from a local sexual health clinic, a GP surgery or another pharmacy, or call NHS 111. For free, confidential advice, you can also call the national sexual health helpline on 0300 123 7123.

Other services that may help

• Ongoing contraception: start or continue the contraceptive pill free on the NHS.
• NHS Pharmacy First: treatment for common conditions, including urinary tract infections in women aged 16 to 64, with no GP appointment.
• Emergency contraception on the NHS website: national information about your options.

Frequently asked questions

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