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Writer's pictureLisa M. Wessell

How Plan B really works

Updated: Jan 25, 2023


Plan B is a progesterone only (levonorgestrel) pill used to temporarily delay the release of an egg from the ovary. So, to NOT allow sperm to meet the egg. This stops any FERTILIZTION, and PREGNANCY.

Plan B is not birth control as it only works for a short amount of time to prevent pregnancy.

Plan B should be used as soon as you have had unprotected sex or taken within 72 hours (3 days) to prevent pregnancy.

Plan B emergency contraception is available over the counter. There is no prescription.

Plan B has a shelf life of up to four years.

Side effects of Plan B are:

  • Your period can be lighter, heavier, early, or late

  • Nausea

  • Lower abdominal cramps

  • Tiredness

  • Headache

  • Dizziness

  • Breast tenderness

  • Vomiting

  • Most women will also have changes in their period after taking Plan B (spotting or bleeding before next period)

This past December the Food and Drug Administration altered the language attached to emergency contraceptive pills to clarify that they are not abortion drugs and that its mechanism of action works by delaying ovulation.


If your period is more than a week late, it’s possible you might be pregnant. Get a pregnancy test and follow up with me at encompasswomenshealth.com



Compare Plan B One-Step Prices - GoodRx use this link for discounts on Plan B


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