As I have commented on other occasions, I work in a primary care center, in the pediatric service. Being in pediatrics I do not see women who come to look for the pill the day after, however while I was with adults I did visit several girls who came to ask for it, and some of them repeatedly.
Recently I read an expert, gynecologist at the Institute of Reproduction and Genetics of Galenia Hospital, in Cancun, Mexico, talking about it and informing that the abuse of the pills the day after, or "post day", increases the possibility of Ectopic pregnancy, which is one that happens outside the uterus and can have serious consequences for women. Now the question is, is it true? Could the use and abuse of the morning after pill increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy?
What is an ectopic pregnancy
As I explained, an ectopic pregnancy is one that occurs outside the uterus. The fertilized egg is able to nest where it should not and there the baby begins to develop, outside the logical place. Many of these pregnancies do not continue, because they are in places that do not promote the growth of the baby, but others have managed to be up to 6 months, as a woman whose baby remained that time in her intestines.
Obviously, in situations like this, you have to take into account all the possible factors that may increase the risk of happening, to control or eliminate them.
But the morning after pill doesn't seem to increase the risk
Back in 2003, the magazine Chief Medical Officer Update made public two ectopic pregnancies in the United Kingdom, occurred between 201 unexpected pregnancies after using the morning after pill. It was decided to explain the possible increase in risk and the press also talked about it as an alert to the population. Something similar happened in New Zealand, where authorities suggested that doctors prescribe or deliver the medication to explain that it was a possible side effect.
However, studies that have been done a posteriori, based on more than 7,800 women in randomized controlled trials (as we read on Wikipedia) show that There is no increase in the relative risk of ectopic pregnancy in women who became pregnant after using the morning after pill.
In Spain, coincidence was also sought, since up to 2013, 20 cases of serious adverse reactions (ectopic pregnancies and risk of thromboembolic disease) had been reported after taking the pill. Now, as we read in Onmeda, when assessing the rates of ectopic pregnancy they saw that in users of this type of emergency contraception it was of 0.8 to 2%, which is exactly the same percentage of risk that the general population has.
In summary, ten years ago there were cases that made governments and doctors suspect that there was a risk of ectopic pregnancy due to the use of the pill the day after. Now, with more data about it, it seems that that risk does not exist, although it is logical that there are professionals who continue to explain that this risk exists, because they have not updated their "database" yet, or in Christian, their knowledge in this regard.
This does not mean that the morning after pill is safe. It has annoying side effects, it is still a strong discharge of hormones to the body and as a consequence cannot be considered valid as usual contraceptive method.
