Upostelle

What is Upostelle?

Upostelle tablets are a type of emergency birth control. It’s one of the branded versions of levonorgestrel as it contains the same active ingredient - 1500 micrograms of levonorgestrel. It’s to be taken within 72 hours of having unprotected sex or where the contraception used has failed. It prevents pregnancy in 99% of cases and is significantly more effective if you take it within 12 hours.

The morning-after pill is a type of birth control that is taken after unprotected sex. It can prevent pregnancy, but it shouldn’t be relied on. You should still use regular birth control methods, like combined pills or IUDs, where possible. Upostelle also won’t protect you from STIs and can’t be used as an “abortion pill”. You should still use barrier methods like condoms to protect yourself and your sexual partner from STIs.

How does it work?

Upostelle contains the active ingredient levonorgestrel, a synthetic progesterone hormone. Levonorgestrel works in several ways. It stops your ovaries from releasing an egg and prevents sperm from fertilising any eggs that have been released. It prevents this from happening if intercourse has taken place in the preovulatory phase - when the likelihood of fertilization is the highest. Levonorgestrel will not work once implantation has occurred.

You should try to take it as soon as you realise you’ve had unprotected sex, it’s most effective if you take it within 12 hours.

Who is it for?

Upostelle is for those who have unprotected sex and don’t want to get pregnant. It’s most effective within 72 hours of having sex where protection was not used or failed. It will not work if you’re already pregnant or if you have unprotected sex after taking Upostelle.

How to take Upostelle

• take the tablet as soon as possible after unprotected sex. Take it within 12 hours for it to be the most effective. If you take it later than 72 hours (3 days), it won’t work 
• you can take Upostelle at any point in your menstrual cycle
• swallow the tablet whole with water
• check with your doctor if you are taking other medications as it may make Upostelle less effective. They may prescribe you a different emergency contraceptive like a copper IUD or you can take a double dose
• continue to use your regular birth control at the normal time or use condoms till your next period, especially if you are continuing to have sex
• our clinicians will advise you on the best way to take Upostelle. If you have any further questions or concerns, they will be happy to answer them.

How effective is Upostelle?

The sooner you take Upostelle (within 12 hours), the more effective it will be. Results from three different studies in 1998, 2001 and 2010 showed that when the active ingredient in Upostelle (levonorgestrel) was taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it prevented 85%, 84% and 97% of pregnancies respectively.

You should still take a pregnancy test just in case as that’s the only way you’ll know for sure if you’re not pregnant, even if you’ve got your next period.

What happens if I take too much Upostelle?

There have been no reports of serious effects after taking too much levonorgestrel, especially because the emergency contraception will only have one tablet in the packet.

You may feel sick or have irregular bleeding after taking the dose. If you are actually sick after taking Upostelle, contact your doctor as soon as you can. The tablet may not have worked so you might need to take another one.