Emergency Contraception

Emergency contraception, also known as the ‘morning after pill’ is available without prescription in pharmacies through out the Rep. of Ireland.

What is the morning after pill?

The emergency contraceptive pill or ‘morning after pill’ – is a pill that you can take after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. The morning after pill is available directly from a pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription to those over 17 years of age, subject to meeting certain criteria.

The emergency contraception service is available free of charge to medical card holders.

Available to:

Women over the age of 17
No prescription required
Free to medical card holders

Requirements:

Subject to a consultation with the pharmacist

Emergency contraception:

FAQs Answered

If you had unprotected sex would you know how to access emergency contraception? This short film from the University Hospitals Bristol Trust takes you through your options.

We are here to help when you need us

What happens when I go to the pharmacy?

We have been trained to treat women for emergency contraception professionally and confidentially. The pharmacist will need to ask a few simple questions before giving you the medication. This will help the pharmacist ensure that the morning after pill is suitable for you to use. If for any reason it is not suitable, the pharmacist will direct you to another source for help and support.

How long is the window to use emergency contraception?

Emergency contraception can be effective up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex but it is important to take it as soon as possible as the quicker you take it the more effective it works.

In what cases will emergency contraception not be useful?

Too much time has passed for the medicine to be effective
You are taking other medicines that interact with emergency contraception
You have an existing medical condition that means it is not safe to take emergency contraception
Your last period was irregular in some way

What you need to know about emergency contraception?

If you think you need emergency contraception, it’s important to act quickly. Emergency contraception is a safe, effective and responsible method of preventing pregnancy when regular contraception has failed or if no contraception was used.