If order is placed before 11am, your order will normally be dispatched on the same day for next day delivery using 'Royal Mail Special Delivery' which is a next day service. After 11am on a Friday, your order may not arrive until Monday. If this is the case or if we feel your medicine will not arrive promptly we will contact you to let you know. In these circumstances you should make local arrangements for obtaining emergency contraception. This may involve purchasing emergency contraception from a local pharmacy, contacting your GP, or sexual health clinic.

A pharmacist will review your questionnaire and may need to speak to you by phone.

1. What ellaOne is and what it is used for

ellaOne is an emergency contraceptive. This is sometimes referred to as the 'Morning After Pill'.

ellaOne is a contraceptive intended to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or if your contraceptive method has failed. For example:

if you had sex without protection;

if your or your partner’s condom tore, slipped or came off, or if you forgot to use one;

if you did not take your contraceptive pill as recommended.

You should take the tablet as soon as possible after sex, and within a maximum of 5 days (120 hours).

This is because the sperm can survive up to 5 days in your body after intercourse.

This medicine is suitable for any woman of childbearing age, including adolescents.

You can take the tablet at any time in the menstrual cycle.

ellaOne does not work if you are already pregnant

If your menstrual period is late, there is a possibility that you may be pregnant. When your period is late or when you have symptoms of pregnancy (heavy breasts, morning sickness) you should consult a doctor or other healthcare professional before taking the tablet.

If you have unprotected sex after taking the tablet, it will not stop you from becoming pregnant.

Unprotected sex at any time during your cycle can lead to pregnancy.

ellaOne is not to be used for regular contraception

If you do not have a regular method of contraception, talk to your doctor or healthcare professional to choose one that is suitable for you.

How ellaOne works

ellaOne contains the substance ulipristal acetate which acts by modifying the activity of the natural hormone progesterone which is necessary for ovulation to occur. As a result, this medicine works by postponing ovulation. Emergency contraception is not effective in every case. Of 100 women who take this medicine approximately 2 will become pregnant.

This medicine is a contraceptive used to prevent a pregnancy from starting. If you are already pregnant, it will not interrupt an existing pregnancy.

Emergency contraception does not protect against sexually transmitted infections

Only condoms can protect you from sexually transmitted infections. This medicine will not protect you against HIV infection or any other sexually transmitted diseases (e.g. chlamydia, genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhoea, hepatitis B and syphilis). Ask a healthcare professional for advice if you are worried about this.

There is more information about contraception at the end of this leaflet.

2. What you need to know before you take ellaOne

Do not take ellaOne

If you are allergic to ulipristal acetate or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).

Warning and precautions

Talk to your pharmacist, doctor or other healthcare professional before taking this medicine

if your period is late or you have symptoms of pregnancy (heavy breasts, morning sickness), as you may already be pregnant (see section “Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility”);

if you suffer from severe asthma;

if you suffer from severe liver disease.

In all women, emergency contraception should be taken as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. There is some evidence that this medicine may be less effective with increasing body weight or body mass index (BMI), but these data were limited and inconclusive. Therefore, ellaOne is still recommended for all women regardless of their weight or BMI.

You are advised to speak to a healthcare professional if you are concerned about any problems related to taking emergency contraception.

If you become pregnant despite taking the tablet, it is important that you see your doctor. See section “Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility” for more information.

Other contraceptives and ellaOne

This medicine may make regular hormonal contraceptives, like pills and patches, temporarily less effective. If you are currently taking hormonal contraception, continue to use it as usual after taking this medicine, but be sure to use condoms every time you have sex until your next period.

Do not take this medicine together with another emergency contraceptive pill that contains levonorgestrel. By taking them both together, you might make this medicine less effective.

Other medicines and ellaOne

Tell your pharmacist, doctor or other healthcare professional if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription or herbal medicines.

Some medicines may prevent ellaOne from working effectively. If you have used any of the medicines listed below during the last 4 weeks, ellaOne may be less suitable for you. Your doctor may prescribe another type of (non-hormonal) emergency contraceptive, i.e. a copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD):

medicines used to treat epilepsy (for example, primidone, phenobarbital, phenytoin, fosphenytoine, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine and barbiturates)

medicines used to treat tuberculosis (for example, rifampicin, rifabutin)

a treatment for HIV (ritonavir, efavirenz, nevirapine)

a medicine used to treat fungal infections (griseofulvin)

herbal remedies containing St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum).

Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before using ellaOne when you use (or have recently used) any of the medicines stated above.

Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility

Pregnancy

Before taking this medicine, if your period is late, tell your pharmacist, doctor or other healthcare professional, or do a pregnancy test in order to make sure you are not already pregnant (see section “Warning and precautions”).

This medicine is a contraceptive used to prevent a pregnancy from starting. If you are already pregnant it will not interrupt an existing pregnancy.

If you become pregnant despite taking this medicine, there is no evidence that it will affect your pregnancy. However, it is important that you see your doctor. As for any pregnancy, your doctor may want to check that the pregnancy is not outside the womb. This is especially important if you have severe abdominal (stomach) pain or bleeding or if you have previously had a pregnancy outside the womb, tubal surgery or long term (chronic) genital infection.

If you become pregnant despite taking ellaOne, you are encouraged to ask your doctor to register your pregnancy in an official registry. You can also report this information on your own at www.hra-pregnancy-registry.com. Your information will remain anonymous – nobody will know it is information about you. Sharing your information may help women in the future understand the safety or risks of ellaOne during a pregnancy.

Breast-feeding

If you take this medicine while you are breast-feeding a baby, do not breast-feed for one week after taking this medicine. During this time, it is recommended to use a breast pump in order to maintain milk production, but throw away your breast milk. The effect of breast-feeding your baby in the week after taking this medicine is not known.

Fertility

This medicine will not affect your future fertility. If you have unprotected sex after taking the tablet, it will not stop you from becoming pregnant. Therefore it is important you use condoms until your next period. If you wish to start or continue with a regular method of contraception after using this medicine, you can do so but you should also use condoms until your next period.

Driving and using machines

After taking this medicine, some women experience dizziness, drowsiness, blurred vision and/or loss of concentration (see section 4). If you experience these symptoms, do not drive or use machines.

ellaOne contains lactose

If you have been told by your doctor or other healthcare professional that you have an intolerance to some sugars, tell your pharmacist before taking this medicine.