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Dear Kiera,
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went out. Then when we got back to my house, things started to get a little heated. Being caught up in the moment, we had sex. When I got up, I realized he didn’t put on a condom! Now I’m freakin’ out. I tried the Coke soda trick, but all it did was make it worse. Could you please help me?

Sincerely,
Ashley, 15
Washington, D.C.

Dear Ashley,

So you had unprotected sex. First of all, calm down. The first thing you need to know is that there is something you can do after you have unprotected sex to prevent an unintended pregnancy.

*When you have unprotected sex, a way to prevent from getting pregnant is to take emergency contraceptive (EC) pills.

Emergency contraceptive pills are birth control pills. They help prevent pregnancy and the need for an abortion. The brand name for EC is Plan B. However, if you are already on birth control pills, you may be able to use them as EC. Visit http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/dose.html to learn the correct dosage for your brand of pills and the way to take them as EC.

You have to take the pills within the first five days (120 hours) after having unprotected sex. There are other things to remember about contraceptive pills, including those used as EC. They do not cause abortion. They are not Mifeprex (commonly known as the “abortion pill” or RU 486). They are not harmful for you and, if you find out that you are already pregnant, they won’t cause a abortion and they won’t cause birth defects. But also remember that birth control pills do not prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.

In the United States, emergency contraception (morning after pills) are now available without a prescription for women and men 17 and older. Just ask your pharmacist for Plan B One-Step.

The newly approved Plan B One-Step is just one pill to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. Emergency contraception is most effective when taken within three days (72 hours) of unprotected sex; it may still work up to five days (120 hours) after sex.

The original Plan B (which is a two pill dosage) is gradually being replaced in pharmacies by Plan B One-Step. Plan B is still available over-the counter to women and men aged 18 and older, and by prescription to younger women. If you are 17 years old, call your pharmacy first to see if they carry the new pill, Plan B One-Step, which is available over-the-counter to women and men aged 17 and older.

You can get the pills from your regular doctor, student health center, or local family planning clinic. If you call a doctor, clinic, or hospital and ask for emergency contraceptive pills and they say “no”, don’t be discouraged. Call 1-800-230 PLAN or visit www.teenwire.com to find the Planned Parenthood Clinic nearest you.

You might also be interested in these percentages and how they affect us as young women of color.

• Each year, approximately 750,000 to 850,000 teenage women the United States experience pregnancy. [1]
• Seventy-four to 95 of teen pregnancies are unintended. [1]
• Between 1991 and 2002, U.S. birth rates among 15- to 19-year-old women declined in all racial/ethnic groups, although rates for African American and Hispanic teens continued to be higher than the rates for other groups. [1]
• African Americans ages 15 to 19 experienced the steepest decline in birth rates—42 percent—from 118 per 1,000 women in 1991 to 68 in 2002. Among African Americans ages 15 to 17, birth rates dropped by 52 percent between 1991 and 2002. [1]
• The birth rate for Hispanic teens ages 15 to 19 declined 20 percent from 105 per 1,000 women in 1991 to 83 in 2002. [1]
• In the United States, 45.6 percent of high school students and 79.5 percent of college students ages 18-24 have had sex. [1]
• Emergency contraceptive pills could annually prevent as many as 50 percent of unintended pregnancies and consequent abortions among American teens.[2]

I hope this e-mail helps. If you need any other information, please write back!

For more information

http://www.advocatesforyouth.org – provides great information about sexual health issues as well as a fact sheet about emergency contraception to give to school personnel and/or parents.
http://www.not-2-late.com - provides accurate information about emergency contraception and a directory of providers in your area.
http://www.teenwire.org – gives great information on emergency contraception, safer sex, and more. And gives referrals to local Planned Parenthood clinics.
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu – has loads of question and answers on all kinds of relationship and sexual health issues emergency contraceptive pills.

References

1. Advocates for Youth. The Facts: Adolescent Pregnancy and Childbearing in the United States. 2004.
2. Advocates for Youth. The Facts: Emergency Contraception: A Safe & Effective Contraceptive Option for Teens. 2005.