We call the next day’s contraception, or emergency contraception, an exceptional measure that the doctor prescribes or advises after unprotected or poorly protected intercourse, regardless of the time of the cycle. The doctor is always a little bothered to talk about emergency contraception, because it should only be an exceptional situation if the preventive information work has been done well; under no circumstances should it be a regular method of contraception.
However, women, especially young girls, must be informed of the existence of these means, because it is important to implement them as soon as possible after the report.
There are several situations that require it.
First, forgetting to take the pill! It is much more common than you think. If there have been more than two oversights and intercourse in the previous five days, the risk of pregnancy is significant. As in the case of accidents when using condoms, accidents are also relatively frequent. Finally, women who think that when their periods are extremely regular, they can accurately calculate “dangerous” dates do not know that nature is much more complex than a simple stopwatch, if only by the length of time. life of a spermatozoon, also very variable.
In short, when there is a doubt, especially if the partner is not well known, there are two solutions.
The first is the one that is most used in France. It’s called the morning after pill. It is catch-up contraception that should be used within 120 hours after sex. This pill is available over the counter in pharmacies and free for minors. Please note, this well-tolerated protection is not a contraceptive method to be repeated, and above all, is not valid for the following reports.
In the event of a period delay of more than 5 days or modified periods, a pregnancy test should be taken, as the effectiveness is not 100% guaranteed.
The other method of emergency contraception used by American women, but very little in France, is the IUD. It’s a shame that the vast majority of French women ignore it, because this method, which works very well, can be kept permanently if the woman wishes.
The IUD, which is also called “intrauterine device”, is the most widely used contraception in the world, but far behind oral contraception in France.
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