Contraception failure - what now?

Luise Heine has been an editor at since 2012. The qualified biologist studied in Regensburg and Brisbane (Australia) and gained experience as a journalist in television, in the Ratgeber-Verlag and in a print magazine. In addition to her work at , she also writes for children, for example for the Stuttgarter Kinderzeitung, and has her own breakfast blog, “Kuchen zum Frühstück”.

More posts by Luise Heine All content is checked by medical journalists.

Despite all caution, things can go wrong during sex in the heat of the moment. If you are concerned that sperm may have got into the vagina without the girl being adequately protected, then that is a breakdown of contraception. Now the most important rule - just don't panic! Because normally pregnancy can still be prevented at this point in time. And because contraception is not just a girl's business, it is quite normal for the boy to support his girlfriend with it.

Typical breakdowns

A breakdown in contraception can happen in many ways: The condom can tear or slip off. Sometimes you forget to use the pill, vaginal ring or contraceptive patch correctly. Or the pill loses its effectiveness, for example because you vomited or had diarrhea shortly after taking it. And last but not least, it is also possible to completely lose sight of contraception during sex. Now just hoping that nothing happened is not a good idea.

Off to the pharmacy

Action is required - in this case that means: off to the pharmacy. There you will get the morning-after pill. This is not an abortion drug. Much more, it prevents or delays ovulation so that the sperm cannot fertilize the egg cell. There are two different active ingredients. Depending on which you choose, you have a maximum time window of 72 hours (for levonorgestrel) or 120 hours (for uipristal acetate) so that the morning-after pill prevents pregnancy. In order for it to work as safely as possible, it is important to take it as soon as possible after the contraceptive breakdown - preferably within 24 hours.

Although it has relatively few risks and side effects, it is quite a hormone shock for the body. That is why you should only use the morning-after pill in an emergency - not as a substitute for other contraceptives. And: It only works retrospectively, so you cannot use it preventively.

After taking the morning-after pill, the menstrual period usually comes at the expected time of the month. Until then, however, it is important that you use contraception during sex. If the girl takes the pill, you'll have to use a condom as well until then. Because the morning-after pill can influence the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives.

pregnancy test

If the girl has not had her menstrual period three weeks after taking the morning-after pill, you should do a pregnancy test to be on the safe side. You can now get it not only in pharmacies, but also in drugstores. The test provides certainty within a few minutes whether you are pregnant or whether the emergency contraceptive has worked.

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