Is It Necessary To Take I Pill Within 72 Hours Of Unprotected Sex?

Posted on Sat, 15 Aug 2015

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

Sat, 15 Aug 2015 Answered on

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I and my gf had intercourse yesterday at 1:30 in the afternoon ! She's supposed to get her periods this week! So can she hav ipill

Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (13 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
She can take iPill and it will protect her with 85 percent chances

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXX,
Thanks for writing in to us.

I have read through your query in detail.
Please find my observations below.

1. iPill is emergency contraceptive pill containing high dose of hormone Levonorgestrel. This alters the hormonal balance in the body and prevents pregnancy from happening.

2. The iPill should be taken at the earliest after unprotected sexual intercourse or in case of condom breaking during sex. It can be taken within 72 hours from the sexual intercourse. If she had sex yesterday at 1.30 pm then she can take iPill to prevent unwanted pregnancy. The effectiveness of iPill when taken within 6 hours is 95 percent and between 24 to 48 hours is 85 percent. However she might still take it.

3. Please note that taking iPill has side effects like irregular periods for next 2 cycles. Regularly taking iPill might cause cysts in ovary, polycystic ovaries, infertility and irregular periods. It should be taken not more than once in 3 - 4 months.

Please feel free to correct any oversight in my interpretation of your problems and discuss them in detail as per your requirements.

Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.

Regards,
Dr.Vivek

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