Fact Not Fiction: The Morning After Pill

While there are many accurate, informative, sex education websites out there, there’s also a lot of misinformation…

The Fact Not Fiction survey launched by ellaOne, the most effective morning after pill*, in 2020 found that 43% of 1027 18-35 year olds say emergency contraception was only ‘briefly mentioned’ during their sex school education.

This may explain why almost 60% of this same sample are unsure how the morning after pill works. This lack of knowledge allows misinformation to distort the conversation around emergency contraception.

As a result of misinformation – or, in some cases, not having been taught about emergency contraception at all – many respondents said they are less likely to take the morning after pill following unprotected sex or contraception failure. 17% said they might avoid it because they worried it always causes side effects, while 16% said they were less inclined to take it because they mistakenly believed it caused a mini abortion.

Given that 57% of respondents have had unprotected sex – 40% more than once – ellaOne’s research highlights the necessity of access to reliable information about the morning after pill.

That’s why ellaOne are launching their new #FactNotFiction campaign, to tackle this lack of public understanding around the morning after pill. The campaign aims to spread the facts about emergency contraception and challenge the fiction.

Emma Marsh, senior brand manager at ellaOne, says: “The Fact Not Fiction campaign is designed to equip the public with the correct knowledge about how emergency contraception works, in order that they aren’t mistakenly dissuaded from considering it an option at the critical moment.”

The best way to get the information out there is to share our content on social media. Re-gram our assets, retweet our content, and share the #FactNotFiction.

You don’t know who might need the facts – it could really make a difference to someone’s life. You can also help us challenge the fiction by sharing your own morning after pill story. By sharing your own story, you can put someone else’s mind at ease.

Misinformation about the morning after pill is often spread unwittingly. Please ensure that when writing about the morning after pill, correct imagery is used.

In the UK, the morning after pill, whether ellaOne or alternative brands containing levonorgestrel, appears in a single blister pack and not blisters with two tablets (which is how historic forms of EHC were packaged, but are no longer available in the UK), or multiple tablet strips (which is how regular contraception is commonly packaged).

Do your bit to spread Fact Not Fiction by using the correct imagery of the morning after pill. Download the images here.