Scarleteen

Hi there
I've been on the pill for about 10 months. My boyfriend and I had sex for the first time but afterwards we checked the condom for holes by filling it with water and there was a tiny one but we're not sure when that happened (during sex or after when I gave him oral -my tooth might of hooked without realising) so I took the morning after pill which is just double my normal dosage of the pill twice in one day which is 4 pills in one day. Later in the day i felt nauseous after taking the first 2 pills of the 4 . Can pregnancy signs show so quickly? Or is it the hormones making me nauseous? it has been like 3 days I don't feel nauseous anymore. How effective is the morning after? how long will it take for my hormones to go back to normal after I had that huge dosage of hormones?

Thanks for your help in advance

Welcome to the boards!

If you've been taking your usual pill correctly, there's no need to take emergency contraception. Emergency contraception (the "morning after pill") does the same thing for you that your usual pill is already doing, and won't give you any extra protection. Your regular pill is very effective at preventing pregnancy, so long as it's taken properly, and is more effective than EC. It sounds like some information about how your pill works and how effective it is would help you out: Combined Oral Contraceptives (The Pill)

Emergency contraception isn't actually a huge dose of hormones, it's just a bit more than usual. Nausea is a very common side-effect of EC; it's also common to have some menstrual irregularity in this cycle or for several cycles, so you might have some spotting or find that your bleed is a bit different to how it usually is or happens at a different time than you were expecting it. Everyone's body responds differently, so there's no way of knowing exactly what yours will do or how long it'll last. There's no health concern with any of these side-effects.

For the future, if you ever have a pregnancy risk where you weren't already using a method, or you'd made a mistake with another method, then yes, taking EC would reduce the chance of pregnancy. It's a little less effective than regular methods of contraception, but it still prevents most pregnancies that would've happened if it wasn't taken.

There's no need to put water in condoms to "test" them afterwards. It's become a popular idea, sadly, but it's truly not based in any real sexual health information. Condoms are made to do their jobs correctly so long as they're used correctly: if you store and use them properly, they're not going to have holes. (If you need information or a refresher on condom usage, check out Condom Basics: A User's Manual.) Condoms aren't designed to be able to cope with being filled with water: there's a big chance that filling a condom with water will create holes and breaks, so it's not a good idea because it's just likely to cause you worry for no reason. Too, if there was a break in the condom while it was being used, that wouldn't stay a small hole, it'd become a big obvious break very quickly. For the future, it's best to keep your teeth well out of the way of a condom - they don't mix well! - but if you think you might have damaged a condom with your teeth, the best idea is simply to use a new condom instead.

Is there anything else we can do for you, or any other information you'd like?