--- title: "Emergency contraception: your options" description: "Compare the copper IUD and emergency pills, when to get help, how medicines can affect them, and when to test for pregnancy." url: "https://myruva.co/learn/emergency-contraception-options" language: "en-GB" topic: "Contraception" published: "2026-10-18" updated: "2026-10-19" author: "Ruva team" reading_minutes: 4 --- # Emergency contraception: your options Compare the copper IUD and emergency pills, when to get help, how medicines can affect them, and when to test for pregnancy. *Written and reviewed by the Ruva team · Updated 2026-10-19 · Contraception* ## Key points - Ask for emergency contraception soon after sex without contraception, or if your method may have failed. - The copper IUD is the most effective emergency option. - Which pill suits you depends on timing, your medicines and your situation. - Ask what to do about your usual contraception and when to take a pregnancy test. If you’ve had sex without contraception, or think your method failed, contact a pharmacist or sexual health service today. Emergency contraception works best when you get it soon. You can ask about it after a problem with a condom or after missed pills. Explain what happened and when. ## The options and their timing The copper IUD is the most effective emergency contraception. A trained doctor or nurse fits it inside the womb, and you can keep it in as ongoing contraception. Emergency pills are another option. The main types used in the UK contain levonorgestrel or ulipristal acetate. | Option | NHS time window after sex | | --- | --- | | Copper IUD | Within 5 days (120 hours) | | Levonorgestrel pill | Within 3 days (72 hours) | | Ulipristal acetate pill | Within 5 days (120 hours) | Get help soon. Tell the service about every time you’ve recently had sex without reliable contraception. If you think you’re past one of the time limits, still ask soon. CDC guidance lets a clinician consider a copper IUD later in some cases, based on when you ovulate. An app’s estimate can’t decide that for you. US advice for clinicians is different from the NHS pill time limits. CDC considers emergency pills within 5 days. It reports that ulipristal works better than levonorgestrel at 3–5 days. The FDA information for levonorgestrel says to take it within 72 hours (3 days). Ask a pharmacist or clinician which option suits you where you live. ## Where to get it In the UK, emergency contraception is free from most NHS sexual health clinics and GP surgeries. Emergency pills are also free from most pharmacies and some NHS walk-in centres. A copper IUD needs an appointment with a trained clinician. When you contact the service, say that you need emergency contraception. In the US, you can buy levonorgestrel emergency contraception over the counter without a prescription. Ulipristal acetate needs a prescription. Ask a reproductive health service about an emergency copper IUD. Elsewhere, a pharmacist or local sexual health service can tell you how to get it. ## Weight and medicines can affect the choice Tell the pharmacist about any medicines and herbal remedies you take. This includes treatments for epilepsy, HIV or TB, griseofulvin and St John’s wort. With some medicines, you may be advised to have an IUD instead of a pill. Mention steroid treatment for asthma too, as it can affect which pill suits you. Weight can also affect how well the pills work. CDC says levonorgestrel might work less well than ulipristal in women with obesity. WHO says women with obesity must not be refused emergency contraception. Ask about your options soon. Don’t rule yourself out because an online article mentions a weight limit. Emergency pills stop or delay ovulation (the release of an egg). Emergency contraception does not end a pregnancy that has already started. It doesn’t protect against STIs, so ask the sexual health service about testing if you’re worried you may have been exposed. ## Afterwards: contraception, testing and getting help An emergency pill doesn’t protect you if you have sex again later. If you have sex without contraception afterwards, ask for advice again. You may need emergency contraception again. Ask the pharmacist for a clear plan for your usual contraception and for any short-term barrier method, such as condoms. Hormonal contraception taken around the time of ulipristal can make it work less well. The advice on restarting also differs between emergency pills. Follow the advice for the pill you took, because there’s no single restart plan for all of them. Ask when to do a pregnancy test. The NHS says most tests can be used from the first day of a missed period. If you don’t know when your next period is due, you can test at least 21 days after the last unprotected sex. CDC advises a test if you have no bleed within 3 weeks after taking emergency pills. Follow any testing plan your clinician gives you. If you vomit soon after taking an emergency pill, contact a pharmacist or sexual health clinic today in the UK. In the US and elsewhere, contact a pharmacist or clinician. Say which pill you took and when you were sick, and follow the leaflet. The advice on taking another pill depends on those details. Call 999 now (UK) or 911 (US), or your local emergency number, for sudden severe tummy (abdominal) pain with marked dizziness or fainting. Get urgent medical advice now from a GP or NHS 111 (UK), or an urgent medical service (US and elsewhere), for pain low in your tummy, unusual vaginal bleeding or pain at the tip of your shoulder when you could be pregnant, even without a positive test. These can be warning signs of an ectopic pregnancy, which is a pregnancy growing outside the womb. Do not wait for the planned pregnancy test. ## When to get help - **Emergency:** Call 999 now (UK) or 911 (US), or your local emergency number, for sudden severe tummy (abdominal) pain with marked dizziness or fainting. - **Same day:** Get urgent medical advice now from a GP or NHS 111 (UK), or an urgent medical service (US and elsewhere), for pain low in your tummy, unusual vaginal bleeding or pain at the tip of your shoulder when you could be pregnant, even without a positive test. Do not wait for the planned pregnancy test. - **Same day:** Contact a pharmacist, sexual health clinic or GP today (UK), or a pharmacist or reproductive health service (US and elsewhere), after sex without contraception or if your contraception may have failed. - **Same day:** Contact a pharmacist or sexual health clinic today (UK), or a pharmacist or clinician (US and elsewhere), if you vomit soon after taking an emergency pill. ## Where you live Services and advice differ between countries. - **UK:** The NHS time limits are 3 days (72 hours) for levonorgestrel and 5 days (120 hours) for ulipristal acetate or having a copper IUD fitted. NHS clinics and most pharmacies give emergency pills for free. - **US:** You can get levonorgestrel without a prescription, but ulipristal acetate needs one. CDC advice for clinicians considers emergency pills within 5 days. How well they work depends on the method and timing. - **Elsewhere:** WHO names the copper IUD as the most effective emergency method. It says no one should be refused emergency pills because of obesity. ## Sources 1. [Emergency contraception](https://www.nhs.uk/contraception/emergency-contraception/), NHS 2. [Who can take the emergency contraceptive pill (morning after pill)](https://www.nhs.uk/contraception/methods-of-contraception/emergency-contraceptive-pill-morning-after-pill/who-can-take-it/), NHS 3. [Doing a pregnancy test](https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/trying-for-a-baby/doing-a-pregnancy-test/), NHS 4. [Emergency Contraception](https://www.cdc.gov/contraception/hcp/usspr/emergency-contraception.html), CDC 5. [Emergency contraception](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/emergency-contraception), WHO 6. [Birth Control](https://www.fda.gov/consumers/free-publications-women/birth-control), FDA 7. [Ectopic pregnancy - Symptoms](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ectopic-pregnancy/symptoms/), NHS 8. [Abdominal pain](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003120.htm), MedlinePlus --- This guide is general information to help you keep and use your own records. It isn’t medical advice. If you’re worried about a symptom, or something changes suddenly, talk to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist.