Emergency contraception, ASAP

Emergency contraceptives, like Plan B and Ella, work by blocking your ovaries from ovulating. If you do not release an egg during ovulation, you cannot get pregnant. Emergency contraception is not an abortion pill and will not work if you are already pregnant.

Plan B Generic is currently FDA approved for use up to 72 hours (3 days) after unprotected sex. Ella is FDA approved for use up to 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected sex.

Most research shows that overall, Ella is more effective than Plan B Generic for most women. Ella is equally effective throughout the 5 days after unprotected sex, but Plan B Generic is less effective with time (ex. more effective at 24 hours than after 48 hours).

Generic Plan B is effective for up to 3 days and more effective the sooner that you take it, so the longer you wait, the less likely it is to work. Ella has been shown to work for up to 5 days after unprotected sex, but should still be taken a soon as possible.

Yes, we offer overnight delivery for prescription-only Ella. We can also send the prescription to a local pharmacy of your choice for you to pick up.

Yes. When we call in a prescription for emergency contraception to a pharmacy it is usually processed the same day that we order it. Some pharmacies do not reliably stock Ella, so if you are requesting this pill, we recommend that you call your pharmacy to make sure they have it available.

If you did not have unprotected sex and just want to have emergency contraceptives on hand, just in case, we can deliver these directly to you.

Emergency contraceptives are about 58-94% effective at preventing pregnancy. The range is so large because when taken at the right time, emergency contraception is very effective. However, some women are unable to access the medication until it’s almost too late.

Ella is slightly more effective than Plan B Generic. Plan B Generic is more effective the faster you are able to take it (for example, it’s more effective if taken 3 hours after unprotected sex rather than 48+ hours after).

Emergency contraceptive should not be used as regular birth control. Though there are no known health risks, regularly taking emergency contraceptives can result in increased side effects (like irregular bleeding).

If you find that you need emergency contraception more than 2 or 3 times per year, we recommend that you consider starting regular birth control which is much more effective (up to 99% effective when used as directed) compared to emergency contraception (ranges from 58%-94% effective).

Most women will not have any side effects with emergency contraception. Sometimes, emergency contraception can cause spotting or irregular bleeding about one week before or after your regularly scheduled period. Other possible side effects are nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, breast soreness, or cramping for 1 to 2 days after taking emergency contraception. If you throw up within 2 hours of taking emergency contraception, then you may have lost the pill and you should consider taking another dose. Please contact us if you throw up your emergency contraception within 2 hours of taking it.

Typically, you will not need any follow-up care. If your period is more than one week late after taking emergency contraception, you should take a pregnancy test. Remember, common pregnancy tests (using urine samples) are not accurate in the first 10 days of pregnancy, which is why we recommend waiting until you are at least a week late.

If you are breastfeeding 100% of the time and your period has not yet returned, then you may not need emergency contraception.

Plan B Generic (the generic version of Plan B) can be used safely during breastfeeding with no changes to your breastfeeding schedule. Ella can also be used safely during breastfeeding. The CDC recommends that women delay breastfeeding for 24 hours after taking Ella as some of this medication is excreted in the breastmilk. The strongest concentration of Ella in the breastmilk occurs for 1 to 3 hours after taking it, so some providers recommend pumping and dumping only once. There are no known complications for babies who do breastfeed right after the mother has taken emergency contraception.

• If you have sex without a condom or if the condom breaks, slips, or falls off.
• If you have sex and have missed more than 2 days (48 hours) in a row of your combined hormonal contraceptives (pill, patch, or ring).
• If you have sex and are more than 3 hours late taking the progesterone only pill.

At this time, we only provide care in English. We are committed to creating an inclusive experience and are exploring options to expand language support in the future.

Nurx offers two different emergency contraception options.

Nurx's Levonorgestrel (generic Plan B One-Step®) is $25. It is over-the-counter with free shipping, and does not require a prescription. We recommend this product for on-hand use to have it for the moments you need it.

Ella® is $45 without insurance (or as low as $0 with insurance), requires a prescription, and can be sent via ground shipping (for free) or with overnight delivery (for an additional $15). To be considered for an Ella® prescription (as medically appropriate), you'll also need to complete a medical consultation that costs $15. If you need emergency contraception urgently, please request Ella® here.

Yes, we accept most forms of private health insurance for medications. If you’d like to know if we accept your health insurance plan, please connect with our team at [email protected]. Please note that at this time, we do not submit claims to insurance for the medical consult fee.
Nurx does not accept any federal or state government insurance plans, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, or any of their affiliated managed care plans, nor can Nurx service such patients. We recommend that you find a local provider in your community that participates in your government payer program.