Plan B Before Sex

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It can help prevent pregnancy after sex, but before is a different story.
It happens: a condom breaks, pull-and-pray becomes more pray than pull, or you realize you skipped a birth control pill. Thankfully modern medicine has made it so that if you’re not trying to get pregnant and you think there’s a chance you accidentally did, you can take emergency contraception, like Plan B, that significantly lowers the chances of getting pregnant. But if you’re wondering if you can have sex after taking Plan B (sometimes called the morning after pill), then you’ve come to the right place.
Romper spoke with Kelly Cleland, executive director of the American Society for Emergency Contraception , and Dr. Kelly Culwell , board-certified OB/GYN and women’s health expert to find out everything you’ll need to know about having sex after taking Plan B.
You can have sex after taking Plan B if (and this is a very big if!) you have protected sex. Plan B does not work to prevent pregnancy when taken before intercourse. “Plan B only works for a single act of sex and only within five days of unprotected sex (though it is much more effective if you use it as soon as possible after unprotected sex, preferably within three days),” Dr. Culwell says. “If you have sex later in the cycle after taking Plan B and without using another form of contraception, you can definitely get pregnant.”
“Plan B is meant to be used after unprotected sex, not before,” Cleland adds. So in short, you can have protected sex after taking Plan B if you’re up for it (though in the days after you may experience some side effects, like nausea, headaches, abdominal pain, breast tenderness, dizziness, and vomiting—which probably won’t make you super in the mood). If you’re not trying to get pregnant it’s really important to use a condom or a diaphragm, even if you’re on birth control, as it takes seven days of taking consecutive hormonal pills for the body to become protected again after skipping two or more birth control pills , per Cornell Health.
It’s a common misconception that Plan B is the same as the abortion pill, but that is not true; Plan B does not cause abortion or miscarriage. Instead, Plan B has an active ingredient called levonorgestrel, which works by delaying ovulation .
“Given that Plan B delays ovulation, having sex without contraception after Plan B might end up increasing your chances of getting pregnant by timing intercourse around the time of ovulation,” Dr. Culwell says.
There is also a chance that the opposite could be true, though it’s not smart to bank on this happening. “Depending on where someone is in their cycle, it’s possible that Plan B could still prevent pregnancy if they have sex after taking it, but this hasn’t been studied and it’s not worth the risk. To be on the safe side, avoid having unprotected sex after taking Plan B,” Cleland tells Romper.
It’s also important to note that once your luteinizing hormone (LH) surges, which means ovulation is imminent, Plan B can no longer delay ovulation as the drug actually works by suppressing the rise of LH, so the brain does not get the signal to drop an egg (aka ovulate).
“It’s all about timing,” Cleland says. “Plan B only works if it’s taken before the luteinizing hormone (or LH) surge begins. Once the LH surge has started, Plan B can’t prevent ovulation anymore; that’s why it’s so important to take it right away, especially since most people don’t know exactly where they are in their cycle.”
While rare, it’s still possible to get pregnant after taking Plan B, and keep in mind that Plan B can make your next period unpredictable; you may be late or experience spotting, so there may be a reason you’re late after taking Plan B that is not because you’re pregnant.
Plan B can be a lifesaver in those panicky hours when you realize you’ve had unprotected sex. It’s available over-the-counter, and it’s not age or sex-restricted. Essentially anyone who needs it can get it. And while it’s a convenient and safe emergency contraceptive, it’s not the only one out there.
“The prescription pill ( Ella ) is more effective for everyone because it works closer to the time of ovulation. You have up to five days after unprotected sex to take it, but Ella should also be taken as soon as possible,” Cleland says. She adds that you can also get a copper IUD inserted after sex. “It’s nearly 100% effective as an emergency contraceptive and provides at least 12 years of great contraceptive protection if you want to keep it, and effectiveness isn’t impacted by weight.”
The good news is that “there are no serious adverse events from frequent Plan B use,” Dr. Culwell says, but frequent use can get expensive and “it’s far less effective than regular contraceptive methods. If you are using Plan B a lot, you might consider getting on a regular contraceptive.”
Dr. Kelly Culwell , board-certified OB/GYN and women’s health expert

How Plan B Works Before and After Ovulation

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Verywell Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Ⓒ 2022 Dotdash Media, Inc. — All rights reserved

Verywell Health is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

Monique Rainford, MD, is board-certified in obstetrics-gynecology, and currently serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale Medicine. She is the former chief of obstetrics-gynecology at Yale Health.

Plan B One-Step is an emergency contraceptive. Emergency contraceptives are used to prevent pregnancy after birth control failure or unprotected sex. Generic forms of Plan B include My Way , Take Action , and Next Choice One Dose .

Emergency contraception is safe and effective. Still, Plan B is controversial . Much of the debate is based on a misunderstanding about how Plan B works.

Some people believe Plan B prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the lining of the uterus. This belief is based on the product's FDA labeling. Research, however, has not confirmed the information on the FDA label.

This article will discuss the controversy around the FDA labeling for Plan B. It will also look at what research says about how Plan B actually works.

According to the product label, Plan B prevents or delays ovulation, or the release of an egg. It may also prevent fertilization, when an egg and sperm combine.

The debate is based on another statement made on the label. Under "How does Plan B One-Step work?" the label says: “It is possible that Plan B One-Step may also work... by preventing attachment (implantation) to the uterus (womb).”

The medical community does not agree on the definition of pregnancy. 1 The legal definition of pregnancy "encompasses the period of time from implantation until delivery." 2

Some people, though, believe pregnancy begins when an egg is fertilized. People who hold this belief see Plan B as a form of abortion . This is because it is said to prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.

Research does not support this theory about how Plan B works, though. 3 In fact, studies have shown that Plan B does not decrease the rate of pregnancy when taken after ovulation. 4 This suggests it may not interfere with fertilization or implantation, just ovulation.

Most research suggests that Plan B does not cause changes in the endometrium , or lining of the uterus. 3 Because of this, researchers have concluded it cannot prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.

Plan B is not 100% effective at preventing an unintended pregnancy. It is also less effective the longer you wait to use it. Many researchers think this is because it does not prevent implantation.

Research shows Plan B does not cause any changes in the lining of the uterus. Therefore, it would not prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.

During Plan B's approval process, its manufacturer asked the FDA to remove the implantation piece from its label. It is not completely clear why the FDA chose to keep it there.

Most of the research done during the approval process focused on Plan B's active ingredient, the progestin hormone levonorgestrel . The research looked at the hormone's safety and its effectiveness at preventing pregnancy. These studies did not explore how Plan B works.

The FDA may have decided to include implantation on Plan B’s label because this is one of the ways birth control pills work . Birth control pills containing levonorgestrel or a different progestin change the lining of the uterus. The FDA may have decided that because the pill may do this, Plan B might, too.

But there are two things to keep in mind:

According to those involved in the Plan B approval process, the FDA thought it was important to include on the label the possibility that Plan B works "theoretically ... by interfering with a number of physiological processes." 6 This is why it included a list of all the possible ways that Plan B works.

Even though there was no scientific proof that Plan B works by preventing eggs from implanting, this claim was still included by the FDA on the drug’s label.

The FDA is has no plans to change the label. 7 But Erica Jefferson, an FDA spokesperson, did tell the New York Times that "the emerging data on Plan B suggest that it does not inhibit implantation." Research is clear that Plan B does not interfere with implantation. It works primarily by preventing ovulation. 8

Because of this, the research community and many in the medical field feel the language about implantation should be removed from Plan B labeling. 7

The FDA labeling for the Plan B emergency contraceptive says Plan B may work by preventing implantation of the fertilized egg. This has created controversy over its use. Research, however, shows that Plan B does not work this way. Instead, it works by preventing ovulation and fertilization of the egg.

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Chung GS, Lawrence RE, Rasinski KA, Yoon JD, Curlin FA. Obstetrician-gynecologists' beliefs about when pregnancy begins . Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2012;206(2):132.e1-7. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2011.10.877
Gemzell-Danielsson K, Berger C, Lalitkumar PGL. Emergency contraception — mechanisms of action . Contraception . 2013;87(3):300-308. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2012.08.021
Novikovaa N, Weisberg E, Stanczyk FZ, Croxattod HB, Fraser IS. Effectiveness of levonorgestrel emergency contraception given before or after ovulation — a pilot study . Contraception . 2007;75:112-118. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2006.08.015
Gemzell-Danielsson K, Berger C, Lalitkumar PGL. Emergency contraception — mechanisms of action . Contraception . 2013;87(3):300-308. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2012.08.021
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How long do you have to take Plan B?

Plan B helps prevent pregnancy before it starts by temporarily delaying ovulation when taken within 72 hours (3 days) after unprotected sex. Wondering whether you’re within the window to take Plan B? Enter the date and time you had unprotected sex below.
Find Plan B yourself in the family planning aisle at major retailers like CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart, and more.
Plan B One‑Step is a registered trademark of Foundation Consumer Healthcare.
© 2022 Foundation Consumer Healthcare. This site is intended for US audiences only.
This and other links to websites that are not under the control of Foundation Consumer Healthcare LLC (“Foundation”) are provided for convenience of reference only and are not intended as an endorsement by Foundation of the organization or a warranty of any type regarding the information on the website. Foundation does not and cannot review all communications and materials posted or uploaded to other websites and is not responsible for the content of these communications and materials.
Remember: Plan B must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. If you need it right away, find a store near you .
Plan B is available for same day delivery, curbside pickup, and standard shipping via major retailers.

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