(no subject)

[arethinn]

I think there's something I'm not getting here:

Ella is short for EllaOne, the brand name of the pill in Europe. It is effective for preventing pregnancy up to 120 hours following unprotected sex [...] EllaOne is comprised of ulipristal acetate, an antiprogesterone drug that prevents pregnancy by delaying ovulation. Though ulipristal acetate has similarities in chemical action to mifepristone -- also known as RU 486 -- it is not intended for use as contraception or as a method of terminating an ongoing pregnancy. Clinical trials of both Plan B and Ella, published recently in the Lancet, showed that Ella prevented twice as many unwanted pregnancies as Plan B.

1. It "prevented ... unwanted pregnancies" but is "not intended for use as contraception"?

2. If it "delays ovulation" (rather than some other action), how can it possibly prevent pregnancy for "up to 120 hours" if you've already ovulated (worst case, recently before your unprotected encounter)?

Comments

[downtide]

"not intended for use as contraception"

I think that probably means "not intended as a regular substitute for condoms and common sense".

I mean, obviously it's acting as a contraceptive but it shouldn't be used as a primary methond of birth control.

ETA: I wonder if they've actually used the wrong word with "ovulation"? It doesn't make sense, if ovulation happens halfway into the cycle, then 50% of the time you're going to be at some stage between ovulation and menstruation. So delaying it for next time round isn't going to help.

Maybe they intended to say "delays implantation" or something else?

[arethinn]

Maybe they intended to say "delays implantation" or something else?

Maybe? I thought RU486 interfered with implantation, though, so it seems strange to say "it does something different than RU486" if that's what it does.

[dancinglights.livejournal.com]

1. Plan B is also marketed as 'preventing unwanted pregnancies' but 'not intended for use as contraception'. This is because it is initially quite effective but loses effectiveness each time it is taken(some bodies adjust to the hormonal shock) and because the side effects can be heinous enough not to want to use on a regular basis. As someone who's taken it twice, been lectured by the prescribing nurse the second time about efficacy, and spent both afternoons with puking migraines, I'll accept the wording for anything like it.

2. Probably something to do with sperm lifetime? Mostly I'm commenting because of point 1.