00:00So it is like a single pill that you take, let's say 72 hours after you've had sex.
00:12So it doesn't matter what part of the cycle you are or not.
00:17But what is important is though it is called the morning after pill, you do not necessarily
00:21have to take the next day morning, you still have three days to actually go and access
00:25it and take the pill.
00:27Morning after pill is a progesterone only pill, progesterone is a hormone that is already
00:33in your body.
00:34So what we're trying to do by taking the morning after pill is we are trying to increase the
00:38level of progesterone to prevent a pregnancy from happening.
00:42When you have a highly progesterone state, what happens is after a point the progesterone
00:49drops and you get what is called a false period or a withdrawal bleeding.
00:54A lot of the people may feel like I took the morning after pill and I have a big period.
01:00But then two weeks later, you might have another period, which is probably your normal period.
01:10Sometimes your morning after pill can fail.
01:15So after taking the morning after pill, first, if you didn't have what's called the withdrawal
01:20bleeding, and then second, if you were due to have a regular period and you've actually
01:25missed that as well, then definitely you need to do a pregnancy test to make sure that you're
01:31not pregnant.
01:37The most common one, which is not a side effect, which is probably the most common thing that
01:40people are freaking out about, and that is the withdrawal bleeding.
01:44So when the withdrawal bleeding happens after a week or within 10 days that you've taken
01:49the morning after pill, sometimes even less than that, and you're not due for a period,
01:53people usually freak out.
01:54That's not a side effect.
01:55And that is something that you're expecting with the morning after pill.
01:58When you're starting to take like, let's say one single pill, or you've taken it a couple
02:02of times a year, people actually do not get such immense side effects.
02:08To be honest, it is pretty forgivable.
02:10And that is why people actually misuse it almost.
02:14However, when you're having such high progesterone in people's system, some people's body are
02:20very sensitive to progesterone, I should say, and you will be experiencing all side effects
02:25that a high progesterone state can actually bring.
02:28Like for example, you will feel nauseous, you can have headache, you will feel extremely
02:33emotional, you can have mood swings.
02:36If you've got any underlying, let's say depression or underlying any other mental health problem,
02:42a high level of progesterone sometimes can actually make it worse.
02:47It is very important to read the disclaimer in a packet.
02:49These things will happen.
02:51Just because it doesn't happen to many of the people and we are misusing the drug, it
02:55doesn't mean these side effects do not exist.
03:02I would like to say twice a year is probably your upper limit.
03:07Look, I usually tell my patients this, right?
03:10So if it happens like one time out of the blue, that's okay, because it's an emergency
03:15contraceptive pill, it's made for that reason.
03:17Let's say the condom broke or tore, you were doing the absolute right thing and it was
03:22an accident, then it's okay.
03:24The second time you're doing the morning after pill, let's just say, right, is the time when
03:30we have to think what's going on.
03:32Because I wouldn't want to do more than that.
03:35So it does not affect fertility.
03:41So let's say you took it and you want to fall pregnant after six months after you've taken
03:45it.
03:46Let's say even two times you took the morning after pill and then in six months you want
03:48to fall pregnant.
03:49Yes, you definitely can.
03:51See, once the effect of progesterone is weaned off and you're having your regular period
03:55next, then you're fine to go.
03:57You don't need a prescription for it and it's easily available over the counter.
04:05And I think that is what people want, because unfortunately getting a prescription becomes
04:10a very judgmental and a very embarrassing thing, especially for youngsters who have
04:15not been married in a country like India, right?
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