How to use the morning after pill

The morning after pill is a type of emergency contraception that can reduce your risk of pregnancy after unprotected sex or if your usual contraception fails. It could be that a condom split, you missed taking your contraceptive pill, or things simply didn’t go to plan.

The short answer is: as soon as possible. While you can take ellaOne for up to 5 days after unprotected sex, the sooner after unprotected sex you take it, the more chance it has of being effective.

You can get emergency contraception from:

• Pharmacies
• Sexual health clinics
• Some GP surgeries
• NHS walk-in centres

Since October 2025, many places around the UK now offer the morning after pill for free at participating pharmacies and NHS sexual health services.

If you’re unsure where to go, a local pharmacist can usually point you in the right direction quickly and without judgement.

If you need the day after pill, you may be feeling stressed and looking for answers. Luckily, taking the morning after pill is actually very simple. With either ulipristal acetate, like in ellaOne, or levonorgestrel, you just take it with water, swallowing the tablet whole, as with most other medicines in pill form.

You don’t need to take it at a specific time of day, but the main thing is to take it as soon as you can after unprotected sex happens.

For most emergency contraceptive pills, you only need to take one tablet.

• ellaOne is a single 30mg tablet
• Levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pill is usually a single 1.5mg tablet

You do not need to take extra pills for it to work better. Stick to the instructions included with your medication from your healthcare professional.

If you are sick 3 hours after taking the emergency contraceptive pill however, you may need to take another tablet. Please speak to a pharmacist, sexual health clinic or GP as soon as possible for guidance.

This one is simple, no, you don’t need to. But you can if you want to.

Both levonorgestrel and ellaOne can be taken on an empty stomach. Taking emergency contraception without food doesn’t make it less effective. And, although you don’t need to take it with food, it may help to have a small snack to settle your stomach if you’re feeling stressed or queasy.

If you’re sick within 3 hours of taking the day after pill, you should take another dose. Being sick could mean that not enough of the medicine got absorbed into your body. Speak to a pharmacist, GP, or sexual health clinic for advice if this happens.

Technically, yes you can take the morning after pill and drink alcohol. But if you drink heavily and end up being sick shortly afterwards, it can impact how effective the emergency contraceptive pill is. Ideally, you’ll take it easy for the rest of the day after taking the morning after pill. Curl up indoors with your favourite book or binge-worthy show, stay hydrated and take some ‘you’ time to rest.

As with all types of medication, there is a possibility of experiencing side effects after taking the morning after pill. The most commonly  experienced side effects include:

You might notice that you experience side effects such as:

• Headaches
• Tiredness
• Feeling a bit sick
• Spotting or light bleeding
• Breast tenderness

Your next period may arrive slightly earlier or later than normal, and could be a little heavier, lighter or just a bit different from normal. It can feel unsettling, but it’s very common after taking an emergency contraceptive pill.

If you experience anything very out of the ordinary, speak to a healthcare professional for advice and reassurance.

No emergency contraceptive pill is 100% effective, but it is very good at reducing the chance of pregnancy when you take it correctly and quickly. The way you can tell if the day after pill has worked is simply that you don’t become pregnant.

You may notice that your period:

• Arrives on time
• Is a little heavier or lighter than usual
• Is slightly earlier or later than normal

If you’re worried about the pill maybe not having worked, take a pregnancy test. That’s the best way to find out.

You should also take a pregnancy test if:

• You have symptoms of pregnancy
• Your period is much lighter than normal
• Your period is more than 7 days late (or 5 if you’ve chosen levonorgestrel)

There’s never any harm in checking for reassurance.

Yes, you can take the day after pill more than once if you need to. But, emergency contraception is intended for use in emergencies only. If you do need to take the morning after pill more than once within the same cycle, you may need to take the same type of pill that you originally took. If this happens, speak to your medical professional for advice on what to use in your specific circumstances.

And if you find yourself needing it often, you might find it helpful to speak to a medical professional about which regular or daily contraception is suitable for you, to make things easier and less stressful.

This depends on which emergency contraceptive pill you’ve taken.

After you take levonorgestrel, you can usually start or continue hormonal contraception straight away.

After taking ellaOne, you can start or continue using a hormonal contraception but should also use a reliable barrier method such as condoms until your next period.

For many people, needing emergency contraception can feel emotional, embarrassing or stressful. Remember, you’re not alone in this. Life happens, and people are human. Contraception can fail, and timing can go wrong. That’s why the morning after pill exists in the first place.

If you’re unsure which option is best for you, or you just want reassurance, speak to a pharmacist or another healthcare professional. They can provide you with clear information, support, and the confidence to make decisions about your body and your future. And if you decide to use ellaOne, you can either buy it online or, if you’re already at your local pharmacy, simply ask for it by name and answer a few questions to check your suitability.