Ask the Sexpert...

Dear Sexpert,

I know you can get the morning-after pill if you have unprotected sex and are worried you might be pregnant. This sounds a little too good to be true. Isn't using it the same thing as having an abortion?

— Pill Peeved

Dear Peeved,

I understand how this can be confusing. The short answer to your question is that the "morning-after pill," or Plan B, is not the same as having a medical abortion. Medical abortions end pregnancies after the sperm has fertilized the egg and the embryo has implanted itself in the uterine wall. Plan B, on the other hand, prevents the ovary from releasing an egg, stops the sperm from fertilizing the egg or stops the egg from implanting in the uterine lining if the egg is already fertilized.

Plan B is most effective when taken as soon as possible. Ideally, women should take the first pill within 72 hours after having unprotected sex. This should be followed by a second pill, taken 12 hours after the first one. Another option is to take both pills at the same time.

If you're over 18, you can get Plan B at your local pharmacy without a prescription. Pharmacies will give the pill to both men and women. Women (including women under 18) can also get it at University Health Services. UHS is also available to address any other questions or concerns you may have about Plan B.

Plan B is up to 89 percent effective when taken correctly, Again, it's most effective the sooner it is taken.

— The Sexpert

Dear Sexpert,

I've heard of this thing called natural family planning, which apparently means having sex only at certain times in the month as a way of not using birth control. If you only have sex at certain times, can you really avoid getting pregnant?

— Timing Timid

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Dear Timing,

The percentage of women who get pregnant while using natural family planning (also known as the rhythm method) can range from 12-20 percent. If, knowing that, you still want to try it as a method of contraception, you should be working with the help of a trained professional. Here's some background information.There are varied reasons, religious or medical, that prompt people to choose natural family planning as a contraceptive method. Some couples use the same technique when they are trying to get pregnant.

Natural family planning involves determining when a woman is ovulating in order to increase or decrease the chances of pregnancy. Clearly, a woman's chances of getting pregnant during ovulation are higher. So it makes sense to avoid sex during this time if she does not wish to be pregnant.

Timing, of course, is everything. Women can get pregnant just before or after ovulation. It is important to know that after the egg is released from the ovary, it can still be fertilized for up to 24 hours. Also, sperm can live in the body for up to 5 days. In other words, the window for getting pregnant is fairly wide. It can also be challenging to figure out when a woman is ovulating, which may vary from month to month. This variability is why it is a good idea to get the help of trained professionals before using family planning as your primary form of birth control. When a woman does ovulate, there are slight changes in her body temperature and in the consistency of her cervical mucus which women can learn to track.

Condoms and the pill both have higher rates of success at preventing pregnancy than natural family planning. And as always, the only surefire way to prevent pregnancy is through abstinence.

— The Sexpert