Help ensure that women know about Plan B^® before they need it by encouraging counseling at your practice. Here are some suggested key messages to communicate to your patients:

• Plan B^® is available without a prescription for women age 18 and older. Government-issued identification is required for proof of age at the time of purchase.



• Plan B^® is available by prescription only for women age 17 and younger.



• Plan B^® is an FDA-approved emergency contraceptive that can prevent a pregnancy after unprotected sex, contraceptive failure (for example, if your condom broke or if you missed taking birth control pills), or sexual assault.



• Plan B^® is not the same as RU-486 (the abortion pill). Plan B^® works like a birth control pill to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. If you take Plan B^® after you are already pregnant, it will not affect your pregnancy.



• Plan B^® contains just 2 tablets. Take the first tablet as soon as possible within 72 hours (3 days) of unprotected sex. Take the second tablet 12 hours after you take the first tablet.



• The sooner you take Plan B^®, the more effective it is. When taken as directed, Plan B® can reduce your chance of pregnancy by up to 89%.



• Plan B^® should not be used as regular birth control, because it is not as effective as other birth control methods.



• Plan B^® does not protect you from HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS) or any other sexually transmitted disease. The best way to protect against HIV or other STDs is by correctly using a condom.



• Plan B^® works like a regular birth control pill. It prevents pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B^® may also work by preventing it from attaching to the uterus (womb). Plan B^® will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus.



• You may experience nausea when taking Plan B^®. If you vomit within 1 hour of taking a Plan B^® tablet, call your healthcare professional immediately to see if you should repeat the dose.

Encourage your patients to visit this Web site for more information on Plan B^® and EC. You can also provide your patients with a patient education brochure on Plan B^®. You may download patient education materials here or order them from the Plan B^® Information Center by calling the toll-free number, 1-800-330-1271.

View Important Safety Information and full Prescribing Information.