Skip to Content

Morning After Pill

If you’ve had unprotected sex in the last three days or if you think a condom may have broken you can get emergency contraception to prevent an unplanned pregnancy.

The morning after pill is available free to all women in Sandwell from a number of pharmacies across the borough – see below for a full list.

What is the morning after pill?

The morning after pill is a single tablet that contains a synthetic version of progesterone, a natural hormone that’s produced by the ovaries.

It can be taken by most women, except those who are allergic to its ingredients or have medical conditions that might interact with it.

There are different versions of the morning after pill – the one offered for free by pharmacies has the brand name Levonelle.

 

 

How does it work?

It’s believed that the Levonelle works by stopping or delaying ovulation to prevent pregnancy.

The synthetic version of progesterone tricks the body into thinking an egg has already been released from the ovaries so that it doesn’t release one for real.

The hormone is also thought to alter the lining of the womb, meaning it can’t be prepared for a fertilised egg even if one is released from the egg.

When should I get the morning after pill?

You should get the morning after pill as soon as you can if you think you’ve had or may have had unprotected sex.

This is because it needs to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex in order to be effective – and the sooner you take it, the more effective it is.

The morning after pill was designed for emergencies like forgetting to use contraception or using a condom that fails. It isn’t meant for regular use and doesn’t protect against STIs, so you shouldn’t take it as your planned method of contraception.

If you’ve had unprotected sex, it’s recommended that you take a STI test, just to be safe. Click here to order a quick and easy at home testing kit.

 

 

How can I get the morning after pill?

You can get the morning after pill for free in Sandwell no matter how old you are.

It’s available from pharmacies across the borough, where pharmacists may ask you a few simple questions to check it’s OK for you to use – like when you had sex, whether your period is late and whether you have any health problems.

The locations that offer the morning after pill for free are:

Oldbury

Hill Top Pharmacy

1 Pottery Road, B68 9EX

0121 422 2164

Tividale Pharmacy

213 Regent Road, B69 1RZ

0138 425 6500

C. H. White Pharmacy

Unity House, 6 Unity Place, B69 4DB 

0800 652 9125

Smethwick

Dr Dalvair Pharmacy

479 Bearwood Road, B66 4DH

0121 429 9150

Michael’s Chemist

262 High Street, B66 3NL

0121 565 0093

Victoria Pharmacy

5A Suffrage Street, B66 3PZ

0121 558 2673

Wednesbury 

Park Lane Pharmacy

3 Park Lane, WS10 9PR

0121 556 0973

West Bromwich

Ingrams Chemist

351 High Street, B70 9QG

0121 553 1081

Lyng Pharmacy

1 Lyng Lane, B70 7AW

0121 500 5756

Sandwell Pharmacy

85 Church Vale, B71 4DH

0121 588 7678

Medipharma Chemist

279 Walsall Road, Stone Cross, B71 3HR

0121 588 4825

Khaira Pharmacy

6a High Street, B70 6JX

0121 525 7201

 

Still need help?

Send an enquiry to our friendly Healthy Sandwell team.

Contact us