What should I do if I don't have my period after taking emergency contraceptive pills?

The first thing to note is that taking emergency contraceptive pills can cause side effects such as hormonal disruption in women’s bodies, so menstrual disorders are common. If your period is delayed for more than a week, you can go to a regular hospital for a urine test to check whether you are pregnant.

1. Endocrine disorders after long-term use of contraceptives can also cause delayed menstruation. Doctors also found, based on patient feedback, that a new generation of gastrokinetic drug, metoclopramide, also known as domperidone, may also cause this condition. Since metoclopramide does not easily cross the blood-brain barrier, it is believed that it has no inhibitory effect on central dopamine receptors. Central dopamine receptors are inhibited, resulting in a decrease in the amount of hypothalamic release factors entering the anterior pituitary. As a result, the anterior pituitary secretes less gonadotropin and corticotropin, leading to amenorrhea and delayed ovulation.

2. It is not recommended to take emergency contraceptive pills unless it is absolutely necessary. Compared with conventional contraceptive pills, it has more side effects. Common side effects include nausea, dizziness, headache, fatigue, abdominal pain, breast engorgement and irregular vaginal bleeding, which will improve naturally after stopping the medication. If used frequently and repeatedly, it can easily cause endocrine disorders, irregular menstrual cycles, and even ectopic pregnancy.

3. Bleeding after taking emergency contraceptive pills is clinically called withdrawal bleeding. In fact, this bleeding is not menstruation. If taken in the first half of the menstrual cycle, it may cause greater interference with menstruation and vaginal bleeding may occur easily; if taken in the second half of the menstrual cycle, the interference with menstruation will be relatively small. If the amount of bleeding is similar to normal menstrual flow, you can treat it as a menstrual period and take regular contraceptive methods immediately after the bleeding stops. If the amount of bleeding is small, no treatment is needed, but you still need to pay attention to contraception until the next menstrual period.