What Is Emergency Birth Control and How Does It Work?
In this video, OB-GYN Kecia Gaither, MD, shares important information about emergency birth control—what it is, how to use it, and what you can expect.
Perhaps you were in the moment with your partner and you forgot to use protection. To prevent against pregnancy, you still the option of emergency contraception.
“Emergency birth control — which includes different kinds of pills and the copper IUD — helps prevent pregnancy for up to five days after unprotected sex,” says Kecia Gaither, MD, OB-GYN and Director of Perinatal Services at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center.
In this video, Dr. Gaither explains different types of emergency contraception and how they work.
- Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, MS, MBA, FACOGDr. Gaither, an ob-gyn and maternal fetal medicine specialist, is director of perinatal services at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, a member of NYC Health + Hospitals System in Bronx, New York.
References
American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. (2021). Emergency contraception.
Bedsider. (n.d.). Emergency contraception.
Office on Women’s Health. (2023). Emergency contraception.
Planned Parenthood. (n.d.). Which kind of emergency contraception should I use?
Rodriguez, M. I. (2017). 5 myths about the emergency contraceptive pill, busted. Bedsider.