The treatment library · UK information
Emergency contraception
Get timely advice about emergency contraception, the copper IUD, pill options and follow-up with a pharmacy or sexual health service.
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Find the information you need
Emergency contraception medicine guides
Read about the purpose, assessment, important safety questions and follow-up for the exact product. The order is alphabetical within each topic and does not indicate a clinical preference.
2 guides shown
Emergency contraception
No matching medicine is listed. Try the active ingredient or clear the search. This library does not include every medicine available in the UK.
The decision comes before the product
How should I choose a care service?
Which care pathway should I consider?
The copper IUD is the most effective emergency method. Emergency pills have different usual windows: levonorgestrel within 72 hours and ulipristal acetate within 120 hours. A professional needs the timing and other relevant information to advise, including when an IUD could still be an option.
What safety and follow-up questions matter?
Ask about interactions, vomiting after a dose, ongoing contraception and when to take a pregnancy test. Instructions on restarting hormonal contraception differ between pill types. Emergency contraception does not prevent sexually transmitted infections or automatically protect later sex.
What should I prepare for an appointment?
Take a short account of the concern, current medicines and any previous care. Ask for the decision and next steps in writing. These questions can help you focus the appointment:
- What is the earliest appropriate assessment I can get?
- Is the copper IUD an option?
- What should I do about regular contraception and follow-up?
Understand the full commitment
What should a treatment-service quote include?
A medicine price alone cannot describe the whole service. Ask for a dated quote for the exact formulation, quantity and period, and compare the same inclusions. A private prescription does not create an automatic entitlement to NHS continuation.
- Assessment and tests
- Who assesses you, which tests are separate, and what happens to the fee if treatment is unsuitable?
- Supply and administration
- Which product, quantity, equipment, delivery or appointment is included?
- Monitoring and follow-up
- Who reviews results and adverse effects, how often, and with what contact between appointments?
- Renewal and cancellation
- Is payment automatic, can prices change, and how can you stop or transfer care?
Keep the written terms. Low introductory prices and high subscription fees are not measures of clinical quality. When a cost is not verified, it should remain unknown rather than appear as free.
Common questions
How should I use these emergency contraception guides?
Emergency contraception is time-sensitive. Contact a pharmacy, sexual health clinic or GP service as soon as possible after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. Do not wait for an online order to arrive while a treatment window passes.
Can these pages choose a medicine or dose for me?
No. They provide general education and questions for a clinical conversation. The medicine, formulation and instructions must match the assessment and the exact product.
Does every medicine here need a prescription?
Many do. Some specific products are pharmacy medicines with their own suitability checks. The same ingredient can have different supply rules in different products; check with a pharmacist.
Why are there no live price rankings?
A fair comparison needs current evidence for the same product, quantity and clinical support. These guides explain how to request a complete quote; they do not publish unsupported price ranges or imply that an unknown price is zero.
Who publishes and reviews the information?
Pick My Pharmacy publishes the guides using the dated sources shown on each page. No independent clinical review is recorded. Use the current patient leaflet and a healthcare professional for decisions about your care.
Sources and further reading
Public guidance checked 7 September 2026. This topic guide has not been independently clinically reviewed. Individual medicine pages include their own sources and current leaflet links.
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