This service is unavailable from 12pm on Saturday 20th April - 9am Tuesday 23rd April.
If you require treatment urgently please phone 111, contact your out-of-hours GP service (details are usually available on your GP surgery answer phone) or go to your local NHS walk-in centre. If you have a medical emergency, call 999 or go to your local Accident and Emergency department.
"For women seeking emergency contraception, ellaOne is an option."
"ellaOne is an emergency contraceptive pill that can be taken up to 5 days after unprotected sex."
The medicine | ellaOne (ulipristal acetate) 30mg |
When should I take it? | Within 5 days (120 hours) of unprotected sex. EllaOne can be taken at any point during your menstrual cycle. |
| Effectiveness | Current studies show ellaOne can be effective at preventing pregnancy for a full 5 days after unprotected sex but should be taken as soon as possible. Please note, ellaOne does not give any protection against sexually transmitted infections. |
Side effects | Most commonly, irregular bleeding, headache, nausea, dizziness and abdominal pain. |
| Who shouldn't use this service | There are some other conditions and medications that might make ellaOne less likely to work. If this is the case, our medical team will advise you of your treatment options during your online consultation. |
ellaOne contains ulipristal acetate, a chemical that prevents or delays you from ovulating, thus protecting you against pregnancy.
ellaOne comes as a single tablet, that can be taken up to 5 days after having unprotected sex - but the sooner the better.
If you vomit up to 3 hours after taking ellaOne, you will need to take another tablet.
No. EllaOne will not protect you against any sexually transmitted infections, and should not be used as a regular form of contraception.
If you are worried you might have a sexually transmitted infection, you can visit our sexual health clinic for advice, tests and treatments.
If you need regular contraception, then you might consider getting a prescription for the contraceptive pill from our online clinic.
If you have a medical emergency, call 999 or NHS 111. Do not use this service.
Our UK qualified doctors and pharmacists work from our London office.