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.
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.
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.
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:
1 Pottery Road, B68 9EX
0121 422 2164
213 Regent Road, B69 1RZ
0138 425 6500
Unity House, 6 Unity Place, B69 4DB
0800 652 9125
479 Bearwood Road, B66 4DH
0121 429 9150
262 High Street, B66 3NL
0121 565 0093
5A Suffrage Street, B66 3PZ
0121 558 2673
3 Park Lane, WS10 9PR
0121 556 0973
351 High Street, B70 9QG
0121 553 1081
1 Lyng Lane, B70 7AW
0121 500 5756
85 Church Vale, B71 4DH
0121 588 7678
279 Walsall Road, Stone Cross, B71 3HR
0121 588 4825
6a High Street, B70 6JX
0121 525 7201