If you have unprotected sex with your partner or there are chances your birth control method may have failed, you can take the emergency contraception or popularly known as the morning-after pill or EC. It can be effective for up to five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. However, there are certain days in your cycle where the morning-after pill will not be effective.

Morning-after pills work by delaying ovulation so that the sperm and the egg never meet. Pregnancy doesn’t happen right after sex and can take up to five days for a sperm and egg to meet. Ovulation is the stage in the menstrual cycle when the egg makes its way from the ovary down to the fallopian tube, where it can be fertilised when it meets the sperm. So, emergency contraception pills work only if the ovulation hasn’t already happened or if it is just about to happen. If morning-after pills are taken just before ovulation or just after ovulation has happened, when you are still fertile, they won’t be effective. Also, it is important to note that morning-after pill is not the same as the abortion pill. If you’re already pregnant, the morning-after pill won’t affect your pregnancy.

How do you know when you’re ovulating? There is no 100% sure way to know when you’re ovulating since a woman’s cycle varies a bit every month. But you can always track your periods by using period-tracking apps. Physical signs such as producing more vaginal discharge than usual means that you’re ovulating. Obviously if you’re menstruating, you’re done ovulating.

If you need the morning after pill and are not sure if it’ll work or not or if you think you may have gotten pregnant while ovulating, there are few other options to try. One of the most effective method at any time in the cycle is insertion of copper IUD within five days. It is a device that gets inserted into the uterus to serve as hormonal birth control. IUD primarily prevents fertilisation by causing a chemical change that damages sperm and egg before they can meet. Once in place you get long-lasting birth control for as long as you want, up to 12 years.

Before taking any form of pills or frantically calling your healthcare provider, it is recommended to take a pregnancy test if your next period doesn’t come. It is best to not get into an emergency-type-of-a-situation in the first place. Unprotected sex not only leads to pregnancy but can also expose you to various diseases. The smart choice is to always have protected sex. In case, even after having protected sex, there could be several reasons for you to resort to an emergency contraception. Talk to you doctor about long-term contraception in advance so you don’t stress yourself out over these emergency types of situations.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2018 05:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).