If you’ve had sex without using protection, you’ll need to be concerned about two things: preventing pregnancy and getting screened for sexually transmitted infections.
Emergency contraception (EC) typically called the “morning after pill” can actually be used within 5 days (120 hours) of unprotected intercourse but EC works better the sooner you take it.
- Some types of EC (Plan B One-Step™ and Next Choice®) are available over-the-counter (without a prescription), for young women age 17 and over in the United States.
- Girls who are 16 and under can get emergency contraception with a prescription from their health care provider.
- A new brand of EC called Ella™ (Ulipristal acetate) requires a prescription from a health care provider.
Contact your health care provider and get screened for sexually transmitted infections right away.
- If you or your health care provider feel you may have been exposed to HIV, you need to get seen right away and discuss whether you should consider taking PEP (post exposure prophylaxis) medication
- You should get screened for STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Our health guides are developed through a systematic, rigorous process to ensure accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness. Written and reviewed by experienced healthcare clinicians from Boston Children's Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital and consistently ranked as a top hospital by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report, these guides combine clinical expertise, specialized knowledge, and evidence-based medicine. We also incorporate research and best practices from authoritative sources such as the CDC, NIH, PubMed, top medical journals, and UpToDate.com. Clinical specialists and subject matter experts review and edit each guide, reinforcing our commitment to high-quality, factual, scientifically accurate health information for young people.