"Plan B" splitting hairs?

[bellringer06]

If you could take Plan B in the same 24 hrs as the attack, and that would prevent conception, then I would think that’s okay to do. I DO agree that once conception has taken place, then it’s a no-go.

Hello all,

I don’t get on the site too often because I am busy with school, but today I was on and saw this thread and thought I’d add my two cents.

I am a student pharmacist and I think I can maybe help clear up some of the grey area around Plan B we are experiencing on this thread. However, please remember I am just a student and still learning. If another thread like this shows up a year from now I’ll be much more capable of answering.

Plan B, or Levonorgestrel, is taken in one way to prevent ovulation. However, the process of maturation takes a fair amount of time (this is why it takes us ladies time to ovulate after our periods). From what we’ve learned so far in school, it seems that once the egg has matured to a point it will be released. It seems to me that to prevent ovulation a drug would need to be in the system a lot longer than 24 hours before ovulation.

Also, we need to consider the drug’s onset of action. In the time it takes the drug to be absorbed through the intestines, pass into the bloodstream, enter the brain, and implant in the pituitary gland (where it will send a signal not to release the ovulation hormones), the baby’s entire genetic code may have already been determined.

Remember too that fertilization can occur within three hours after intercourse and we do not have medical technology available to determine the exact timing of conception.

I went ahead and took the liberty of looking up levonorgestrel on Lexi-Comp, a site with accurate, comprehensive, up-to-date drug information for pharmacists, and it says that it would take approximately 2 hours for the drug to reach peak serum concentrations (this means when the majority of the drug is in the bloodstream–not even reached the pituitary gland yet).

So, assuming it would take a woman at least one hour to obtain the medication and it takes two hours for the medication to reach peak serum concentrations, there is a chance she may already have ovulated (or conceived) before taking the medication.

In a nutshell, my thinking is, why chance it? If a woman takes Plan B, she will never know if she had conceived (unless the medication fails to be effective for her–no medicine is 100% effective for 100% of the population). Since we cannot yet p(name removed by moderator)oint conception or ovulation (to an accurate enough time in this sense), it would seem that we cannot in good conscience promote the use of this medication. We cannot be 100% certain a new life is not on the way.

I apologize for the length of this post, but hopefully I was able to help a little bit. I’ll try and come back to this thread within 24 hours, but I can’t promise anything with school and such. By the way, this is a great topic to be discussing during Roe v. Wade week!

God Bless.

 

[bellringer06]

I didn’t realize this pill had that particular side effect…so it induces a “period” like experience? I’ve never heard that before.

Plan B will induce vaginal bleeding alterations (could be a period-like experience) in over half (52%) of users. It will also cause intermenstrual bleeding/spotting in about 23% users.

I found this information on Lexi-Comp, a comprehensive, accurate, up-to-date drug information center commonly used by pharmacists.

 

[tampagrl]

bellringer, muchas thank you…You’ve clarified it perfectly for me, and I completely agree with your assestment. I’m off to kick myself for not even thinking about those retched side-effects. ugh. How horrible.
Thanks for taking the time to post all that…God Bless you and may His hand guide you as you finish school. He could certainly use some Catholic Pharmacists on His team

 

[bellringer06]

Great! I’m glad I was able to help, tampagrl.

Thanks for the well wishes in my studies, I promise I’ll do my best to be a good Catholic pharmacist for God and everyone else.

 

[Litcrit]

A rapist has no moral right to penetrate his victim. His sperm is not supposed to be inside her according to God’s plan. Contraception in cases of rape cannot be compared to contraception in marriage. It is true that God can allow precious humans to be born from rape, but it cannot be illicit to prevent a rapist semen from impregnating his victim.

Now, plan B either delays ovulation is a way aggressive to the female body (if taken early enough before ovulation), or prevents the implantation of an already conceived human being (which is clearly impermissible). It’s very unpleasant at best and murder at worst. And you cannot be 100% sure.

Aren’t there other methods of emergency contraception that is contraception alone, meaning they just prevent conception? Spermicides? Removing all the semen from the victim’s body physically ASAP? These would be unable to kill an already conceived child, but would prevent future conception from taking place. I personally would definitely approve of this.

 

[Sabda]

oh no…no…that’s not what I’m saying at all and I didn’t get that from anyone else. The issue for me personally is to prevent conception…just conception. IF there was a way to do that, then the question remains unanswered. If there isn’t, then the question is answered and that answer is no and I fully agree with that.
I didn’t realize this pill had that particular side effect…so it induces a “period” like experience? I’ve never heard that before.

Yes that’s exactly what Plan B does. I know a woman on another board who had taken Plan B and she said NEVER again. It gave her the worst camps she had ever had. They put her in bed unable to really move.

Plan B basically forces your body to have a period before it’s ready to.