Things to Do After Sex with No Protection

Even in these days when contraceptive methods have become widely available and affordable, unprotected sex still happens a lot due to unpreparedness or accidents. Fortunately, morning-after options are here to help:

Plan B

Didn’t plan ahead? No worries! Plan B has your back. Plan B is a hormonal method for emergency contraception. It can prevent ovulation and fertilization if taken within three days of unprotected sex. Plan B can be bought at any drugstores. Experts advise women to keep Plan B pills around in case of emergency. However, some women may experience side effects such as nausea, tiredness, headache, and breast tenderness.

Besides morning-after pills, you may have a copper IUD to prevent pregnancy. This device has to be placed by a doctor within five days after unprotected intercourse. IUDs work by thickening the cervical mucus and preventing sperms from entering. The good thing about IUDs is that once they are in place, they’re good to go for up to 10 years or more.

Get STD tests

When it comes to STDs, there’s nothing much you can do after a wild night. However, there are still steps to treat and manage the condition. If you have had unprotected sex, you need to test for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C virus within 2 weeks. HIV and hepatitis may take longer before they can appear in the test. So, even if the results come back negative, you need another test after 6 months to be sure. If you think you may have HIV, you may take a prophylactic course of antiretrovirals. But this should only be recommended in high-risk cases such as rape.

Monitor for pregnancy

Morning-after pills are not 100% effective against pregnancy. There is still a chance you may get pregnant. Thus, you have to pay attention to how your body is doing. It’s worth mentioning that emergency pills may cause spotting and irregular menstruation, which makes it even harder to predict pregnancy. Take a pregnancy test if your period is too late. The earlier you know about your pregnancy, the more time you have for deciding what to do next.

What not to do after unprotected sex?

Many women try to douche after they have had unprotected sex, believing that it helps clear up sperm and virus. To their disappointment, douching cannot prevent pregnancy or STDs. You are not doing yourself any favor by douching. Moreover, if you douche, you may increase your risk of pelvic infections because douching disrupts the bacterial balance in your vagina.

Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.