Does Plan B stop working if you take it more than once?
Someone asked us:
Does plan B loose it’s effectivenes if you have taken it over time more than once? I mean not consistently, but if I’ve taken it 4 times ovr the span of 4 years.
Nope! The number of times you take Plan B, or any other brand of emergency contraception (aka the morning-after pill), won’t affect how well it prevents pregnancy. The morning-after pill works just as well the first time you take it as it will the 4th or even 40th time. The most important thing is just making sure you take Plan B as soon as possible after unprotected sex, ideally within the first 3 days. That’s because the sooner you take it, the better it works.
It’s totally safe to take the morning-after pill more than once, whenever you need to. But there’s a reason it’s known as “emergency contraception.” The morning-after pill isn’t as good at preventing pregnancy as other non-emergency types of birth control (like the IUD, implant, shot, ring, patch, or pill). It can also be more expensive than other types of birth control. So if you find yourself having to rely on it often, talk with your nurse or doctor (like the ones at your local Planned Parenthood) about more convenient and effective ways to prevent pregnancy.
-Kendall at Planned Parenthood