Plan B

Plan B, also known as emergency contraception, is an over-the-counter pill that can be taken to prevent pregnancy when protection was not used or when a regular protective method failed.  Plan B should be taken within 72 hours of an unprotected sexual encounter, though the sooner you take it, the more effective it is, and ideally should be taken within the first 24 hours after unprotected sex or contrceptive failure.  Anyone over the age of 17 (male or female) can buy Plan B without a prescription. Women under the age of 17 may obtain Plan B after a visit to a clinician for a prescription.

Plan B is NOT a form of abortion! It works like a regular birth control pill does by preventing ovulation, by preventing the fertilization of an egg, or by preventing a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. It will not affect an already-existing pregnancy (a fertilized egg that has implanted in the uterus).