You should consult your doctor or health care provider each time you are considering using EBC pills.

If you are sexually active you should strongly consider using regular birth control as your primary method of preventing pregnancy. Regular birth control pills are safe, simple, extremely effective, and inexpensive.

EBC pills contain the same drugs and work in exactly the same way as regular birth control pills: they interrupt with the biological process of becoming pregnant.

A woman does not become pregnant immediately after having sex. The process of becoming pregnant can take as long as a week. Medical science defines the beginning of pregnancy as the successful implantation of a fertilized egg in the lining of the uterus.

EBC pills can interrupt the process at several points before implantation occurs, thereby preventing a woman from becoming pregnant. They may:

- Delay or inhibit ovulation.
- Inhibit tubal transport of the egg or sperm
- Interfere with fertilization
- Alter the lining of the uterus and thereby inhibit implantation of a fertilized egg.

EBC pills do not work after a woman has already become pregnant. They cannot cause an abortion even if taken by a pregnant woman.

The copper in copper-T IUDs can prevent sperm from fertilizing an egg and can also alter the endometrium, thereby inhibiting implantation of a fertilized egg.

For more detailed information, including illustrations, visit the How EBC Works page.

Emergency birth control should only be used in emergencies, and not as a means of regular birth control. While EBC pills may be used safely more than once, research suggests that frequent use may cause long-term menstrual cycle irregularities. Additionally, EBC pills are less effective and more expensive than regular birth control pills.

You should consult your doctor or health care provider each time you are considering using EBC pills.

If you are sexually active you should strongly consider using regular birth control as your primary method of preventing pregnancy. Regular birth control pills are safe, simple, extremely effective, and inexpensive.