ellaOne

ellaOne (30mg ulipristal acetate) morning after pill - standby emergency contraception available to buy online from Dr Fox.

• Prevents pregnancy up to 120 hours (5 days) after intercourse

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About ellaOne

EllaOne is a new morning after pill which can be taken to prevent pregnancy up to 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected intercourse. The previously available morning after pill, Levonelle is effective when taken up to 72 hours (3 days) after intercourse. Both are available from Dr Fox.

Requesting ellaOne

Women who would like to obtain a supply of ellaOne from Dr Fox, to keep as a standby for use at short notice, MUST first read important medical information and follow links to a short yes/no online questionnaire. At the end of the questionnaire women can request one or two ellaOne tablets, enter a delivery address and make a payment.

Doctors review each request and issue prescriptions for the ellaOne tablet(s). Medication is posted from a UK registered pharmacy. The shelf life (expiry date) is usually 3 years.

How does ellaOne work?

ellaOne contains ulipristal acetate 30mg and works by inhibiting the release of eggs from the ovaries at the time of ovulation. EllaOne works differently when taken at different times in the menstrual cycle. Studies show that when ellaOne is taken in the middle of a menstrual cycle it is more effective at preventing ovulation than Levonelle.

How effective is ellaOne?

ellaOne is licensed to be taken up to 120 hours (5 days) after intercourse. The rate of pregnancy after ellaOne is taken is approximately 1.5 in 100. Levonelle is slightly less effective, with pregnancy rates of close to 2 in 100.

After 120 hours (5 days) ellaOne will be largely ineffective.

How to take ellaOne

ellaOne is a single dose tablet which is swallowed whole as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. Unprotected intercourse is intercourse which takes place when contraception has not been used or has failed e.g. condom came off or punctured or ripped, or more than one contraceptive pill missed in a cycle.

If vomiting occurs within 3 hours a repeat dose should be taken.

As time of ovulation is unpredictable, even in women with regular cycles, emergency contraception should be taken regardless of the day of the cycle when a woman has unprotected sexual intercourse. Women requiring emergency contraception more than once in a menstrual cycle should consult a doctor or specialist contraception advisor.

Side effects of ellaOne

As with any medicine, ellaOne has the potential to produce side effects, although these do not occur in most cases and are usually not severe. The most common side effects reported for ellaOne are headache (18%), nausea (12%), dysmenorrhea (painful period) (9%), abdominal pain (8%), fatigue (6%) and dizziness (5%). A complete list of common side effects can be found in the manufacturer's Patient Information Leaflet supplied with ellaOne tablets (link below).

Cautions

ellaOne can cause intermenstrual bleeding (spotting or bleeding between periods). Period can arrive early (7 or more days early – approx 7%) or late (7 or more days late - approx 19%) and the next period may be shorter or longer than expected.

If the period after taking ellaOne is more than 5 days late, a pregnancy test should be carried out to exclude pregnancy. Unexplained bleeding or abdominal pain after the morning after pill should be reported to a doctor as ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus/womb) is possible. The risk of ectopic pregnancy is not increased by a morning after pill, however it is a serious condition which needs to be considered.

The following medications could interact with ellaOne and should not be taken at the same time: progesterone, rifampicin, phenytoin, phenobarbital, carbamazepine, ritonavir, St John's wort, Hypericum perforatum, antacids and anti-ulcer medication.

The active ingredient (ulipristal acetate) may pass into breast milk for up to 7 days. A risk to the breast-fed child cannot be excluded.

Contraception and ellaOne

ellaOne is a form of emergency contraception. It is for use when routine regular contraception has failed or not been used and is not as a replacement regular contraception, which is more effective and more reliable.

Information about emergency contraception whilst taking regular contraceptive pills can be found at the NHS Choices website: progesterone only pills and regular combined pills.

Pregnancy and ellaOne

There is no evidence ellaOne harms ongoing pregnancies. However, women should not take ellaOne whilst knowingly pregnant. It is a relatively new drug and potential adverse effects on pregnancy are monitored by reporting. A doctor should be informed if ellaOne is taken inadvertently during pregnancy.

Further information

• NHS: emergency Contraception section
• ellaOne website

Patient Information Leaflet

The Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) is the leaflet included in the pack with a medicine and must be read before taking the medicine. It is written for patients and gives information about taking or using a medicine.

ellaOne 30mg patient leaflet

Authored 28 November 2012 by Dr Tony Steele
Last updated 20 October 2020

Reviewed by Dr B. Babor, Dr A. Wood, Dr P. Hunt
Last reviewed 11 April 2018