Abdominal Cramping And Tender Breasts After Taking Emergency Contraceptive Pill. Is This Normal?

Posted on Thu, 24 Oct 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 24 Oct 2013 Answered on

Sat, 16 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I took the ecp 5 Days ago and I am having a lot of abdominal cramping and very tender breasts . is this normal, or could I be pregnant and see my obgyn. Could there be a risk of an eptopic pregnancy.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
This is not due to pregnancy.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for trusting us with your health concern.
The chances of pregnancy are minimal if you took the pill within 24 hours of the unprotected sex.
The abdominal cramping and tenderness in the breasts could be due to the high dose hormonal pill that you have taken. There can be a mild irregular spotting also. This will subside on its own in 5-7 days without any treatment.
Your periods can also be delayed by a few days due to this pill. Do wait for your periods and test for pregnancy if the periods are overdue by more than 7 days.
Please feel free to discuss further. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar