How much does it cost?

If you're paying out of pocket, you can expect to spend $35 to $60 for emergency contraception pills at a pharmacy. You may be able to purchase ECPs through a family planning clinic for quite a bit less.

Expect to pay up to $500 out of pocket for a copper IUD, not including the exam, the insertion, and a follow-up visit, although a family planning clinic may have a sliding fee.

Some insurers cover ECPs and IUDs under their prescription drug coverage. In fact, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many insurance plans must now cover all prescribed contraceptive methods with no cost to you. Plans that existed on March 23, 2010 – and some religiously affiliated employers – are exempt, but many are complying with the changes anyway.

The Affordable Care Act doesn't cover over-the-counter ECPs, however. For full coverage, you'll need to ask your healthcare provider for a prescription.

How do I take ECPs?

ECPs have been referred to as the "morning-after pill," but this is not a good name because you shouldn't wait until the morning after to take them if you can help it. And, even if you aren't able to take them by the next morning, there's still time.

You should take the pill as soon as possible after having unprotected sex. The longer you wait, the less likely the pill is to work, but you can still take it up to 120 hours (five days) after having unprotected sex.

If I'm already on birth control pills, can I just take the pills from my own prescription?

It's best to use Ella or the levonorgestrel pills if you can get them promptly because they're more effective and cause fewer side effects. If that's not an option, certain kinds of daily combination birth control pills and even some minipills have been shown to work as emergency contraception.

First, you'll need to find out if your brand is one that can be used for emergency contraception and how many pills you'll need to take for each dose. Make sure that you have enough pills to complete each dose and that you're taking the right ones, especially if they're the two- or three-phase kind. Also, remember that the last seven pills in a pack of 28 combination pills don't contain any hormones.

It can be hard to figure out all this on your own. Call your healthcare provider or the Emergency Contraception hotline at (888) NOT-2-LATE (888-668-2528) for guidance.This information is also available on the Emergency Contraception Website.

Don't take more pills than recommended. Taking more will probably not reduce your chance of pregnancy any further, but it will make nausea and vomiting more likely.