Emergency Contraception Options: What to Do When Your Birth Control Fails

Experiencing a contraceptive failure can be incredibly stressful. Whether it’s a broken condom, a missed pill, or concerns about your IUD, the anxiety that follows can be overwhelming. If you’re currently facing this situation, know that you have options—and that acting quickly and knowledgeably can significantly reduce your pregnancy risk. Let’s explore what you need to know about emergency contraception and contraceptive reliability.

Understanding Contraceptive Failure: How Common Is It?

Before diving into solutions, it helps to understand how frequently contraceptive failures actually occur:

• Condoms: Typical use effectiveness is about 85%, meaning about 15 out of 100 couples who rely solely on condoms will experience an unintended pregnancy within a year.
• Birth control pills: About 7% failure rate with typical use.
• IUDs: Less than 1% failure rate, making them among the most reliable options available.

Contraceptive failure doesn’t always mean the method itself failed—human error plays a significant role. A condom that breaks due to improper storage or application, forgotten pills, or an IUD that’s become displaced can all lead to an urgent need for backup protection.

Free consultations available with select providers only.

Get a free consultation

And find an affordable, caring specialist.

Find a provider

Free consultations available with select providers only.

Immediate Steps After Contraceptive Failure

If you’ve experienced a birth control emergency, time is of the essence. Here’s what to do:

1. Assess the Timing

Your risk of pregnancy is highest during ovulation. If your contraceptive failure occurred during this fertility window (typically days 11-21 of a 28-day cycle), your pregnancy risk increases. However, emergency contraception is designed to work at any point in your cycle.

2. Consider Emergency Contraception Options

Over-the-Counter Emergency Contraceptive Pills

• Plan B One-Step and generics: Works best when taken within 72 hours but may be effective up to 5 days after unprotected sex
• Effectiveness: Reduces pregnancy risk by about 75-89%
• Considerations: Less effective for people weighing more than 165 pounds

Prescription Emergency Contraception

• Ella (ulipristal acetate): Effective up to 5 days after unprotected sex with consistent effectiveness throughout that timeframe
• Effectiveness: More effective than Plan B, particularly for those with higher BMIs

The Copper IUD: The Most Effective Emergency Contraception

The copper IUD (ParaGard) stands out as the gold standard for emergency contraception, with several advantages:

• Superior effectiveness: 99.9% effective when placed within 5 days of unprotected sex
• Works regardless of body weight: No reduced efficacy based on BMI
• Long-term solution: Provides highly reliable birth control for up to 10 years
• Effectiveness during ovulation: Remains highly effective even during your most fertile days

The Copper IUD: How It Works as Emergency Contraception

The copper IUD’s effectiveness as emergency contraception comes from multiple mechanisms:

Sperm Prevention

The copper ions released by the IUD create an environment that’s toxic to sperm, significantly reducing their mobility and viability before they can reach an egg.

Fertilization Prevention

Even if sperm manage to survive, the copper IUD alters the reproductive environment, making fertilization much less likely to occur.

Implantation Prevention

As a last line of defense, the IUD makes the uterine lining less receptive to a fertilized egg, preventing implantation if fertilization has occurred.

This triple-protection approach explains why the copper IUD’s emergency contraception effectiveness rate reaches an impressive 99.9%, substantially higher than emergency contraceptive pills.

Managing Contraceptive Anxiety

The stress that follows contraceptive failure is real and valid. Here are some strategies for coping with contraceptive anxiety:

1. Knowledge Is Power

Understanding the actual statistics around pregnancy risk can help put your mind at ease. For example, even during peak fertility, the chance of pregnancy from a single unprotected encounter is approximately 25-30%—not the 100% many people fear.

2. Consider Double Protection Methods

Using multiple forms of birth control simultaneously can provide peace of mind. Common combinations include:

• Hormonal method (pill, patch, ring) + condoms
• IUD + condoms
• Fertility awareness + barrier method

3. Regular Contraceptive Check-ups

If you use an IUD, regular string checks and follow-up appointments ensure it remains properly positioned. Similarly, understanding how to properly use condoms and taking pills consistently reduces failure risks.

When to Take a Pregnancy Test

If you’ve taken emergency contraception following a birth control failure, you should take a pregnancy test if:

• Your next period is more than a week late
• Your period is unusually light or short
• You experience pregnancy symptoms like nausea, breast tenderness, or fatigue

Most home pregnancy tests are accurate by the first day of your missed period.

Moving Forward: Long-Term Birth Control Reliability

If contraceptive anxiety is significantly affecting your quality of life, consider discussing more reliable long-term options with your healthcare provider:

• IUDs: Both copper and hormonal options offer 99%+ effectiveness
• Implant: The arm implant provides 99.95% effectiveness for up to 5 years
• Sterilization: For those certain they don’t want future pregnancies, permanent options are available

Take Action Now

If you’re currently dealing with a contraceptive failure, remember that timely action significantly increases the effectiveness of emergency contraception. Don’t hesitate to contact a healthcare provider or visit a clinic for the most appropriate emergency contraception option for your situation, especially if you’re interested in the copper IUD as both emergency contraception and ongoing birth control.

Contraceptive failures happen, but with prompt action and the right information, you can significantly reduce your pregnancy risk and find a birth control method that provides both effectiveness and peace of mind going forward.