I know Plan B is “the morning-after pill,” so what happens if you take it three hours after unprotected sex?

By Kendall @ Planned Parenthood | Nov. 15, 2012, 12:55 p.m.

Plan B is considered “The morning-after pill” but what happens if you take it 3 hours after having unprotected sex? Does that make it less effective?

You don’t have to wait until the morning after to take the morning-after pill. It’s commonly known as “the morning-after pill”, but we call it emergency contraception because it doesn’t have to be taken the morning after. In fact, the sooner you start it, the more effective it is. As long as you’re taking it after unprotected sex, it’s never too early to take emergency contraception.

Emergency contraception can be started up to 120 hours (five days) after unprotected sex. For most brands, the sooner you take it, the better it works. Typically, they reduce the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, and get slightly less effective when taken on day four or five. The only exception to this is the prescription-only brand ella, which has the same effectiveness over the five days. Read more about emergency contraception.

Tags: emergency contraception, the morning-after pill, plan b