How To Prevent Pregnancy After Unprotected Sex

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost half of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, with the highest rate between the ages of 18 to 24.

If you dread having to make the difficult, life-altering decisions that come with an unplanned pregnancy, there are options for emergency contraceptives that can be effective if you use them within days after unprotected sex.

If you've had unprotected sex and want to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, here's what you should know about emergency contraception options, as well as some other considerations.

What To Do After Having Unprotected Sex

After having unprotected sex (or having sex where the condom breaks), you'll want to first use the bathroom and clean up any fluids from your genital and anal regions to reduce your risk of developing a urinary tract infection (UTI). 

Peeing also helps wash away those fluids. But note that this will not reduce your chance of pregnancy.

Per the National Library of Medicine, UTIs occur when bacteria enter and colonize inside the urethra. It can also spread to the bladder and kidneys. Some UTIs resolve themselves, but sometimes, you will need to take a course of antibiotics.

But one thing you shouldn't do after unprotected sex? Douching.

"Douching will not increase the risk of pregnancy, but it may increase the risk of pelvic infections," said Lisa Perriera, MD, MPH, a board-certified OB-GYN based in Pennsylvania. "Douching, in general, is a bad idea."

That's because it alters the normal balance of yeast and bacteria in the reproductive tract, which could lead to an infection.

Get Tested for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

According to the CDC, one of the best ways to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) while engaging in vaginal, anal, or oral sex is to use condoms. 

If you are sexually active, you should receive regular tests for STIs—including gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and hepatitis B and C virus. 

It's a good idea to receive a test within a couple of weeks of unprotected sex. However, if your HIV and hepatitis test results are negative, you'll need to get retested in another six months to be absolutely sure. Some tests for those viruses take anywhere between a couple of weeks to six months to detect the viruses in your body.

If you think you've been exposed to HIV, you can take a course of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) within 72 hours of exposure. However, according to the CDC, PEP is generally reserved for high-risk scenarios.

How Effective is Emergency Contraception?

Using emergency contraception doesn't guarantee that you will not become pregnant but it can certainly reduce your risk. According to one study published in 2019 in Cochrane Database, researchers reported that people who took the morning-after pill Plan B had a 1.1% to 2.4% chance of getting pregnant. However, according to the World Health Organization, it can reduce your risk of pregnancy by up to 95% or more.

However, that means you'll still need to keep an eye on your menstrual cycle after having unprotected sex, bearing in mind that a morning-after pill can cause spotting and may alter the flow of your period. That can make it hard to tell whether you are pregnant, so if your period is more than a week late, take a pregnancy test.

You can also become pregnant after having unprotected sex during menstrual bleeding, though it's less likely. Per the National Library of Medicine, sperm can live inside your reproductive tract for as long as five days. And ovulation, the time when you are most likely to become pregnant, typically occurs about 14 days before your next period.

Still, using emergency contraception can certainly lower your risk of becoming pregnant after having unprotected sex. Here's what you need to know about three options to consider—including Plan B (levonorgestrel), ella (ulipristal acetate), and ParaGuard.