What to Do After Unprotected Sex to Prevent Pregnancy?

People choose to have unprotected sex for several reasons. For some, it is thrilling to enjoy the experience and sensations without a barrier in between. While for others, it may be unintentional, such as the condom breaking down in between. No matter why you chose to have unprotected sex, you may want to make sure you don’t get pregnant.

Apart from pregnancy, you also need to worry about sexually transmitted diseases. Although you should put your mind slightly at ease since one night of unprotected sex may not necessarily result in a pregnancy. However, you cannot know the precise phase of your fertility cycle, so it is not entirely impossible.

Way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex

The best-case scenario is that you take immediate measures to prevent your body from conceiving. If you’re reading this right after having unprotected sex, the first step is to remain calm and follow these instructions:

Go To the Bathroom

Going to the bathroom after sex doesn’t reduce the chances of pregnancy. However, it reduces the chances of you getting a UTI, urinary tract infection. You should pee to remove any remnants of semen in your vagina. If possible, try hydrating yourself to flush it out of your system thoroughly. Good hygiene will prevent your body from contracting any illness.

Use Contraceptive Pills

Within 72 hours of unprotected sex, you should consume the morning after pill. The sooner you do it, the better for you. Emergency contraceptive pills can take up to 72 hours or three days to take effect. So if you don’t have one at hand, you may quickly get it over the counter or use the morning after pill delivery service. It is also advisable to make an appointment with a family planning doctor.

Don’t Try To Douche

A douchebag is a small device that sends a stream of water up the vagina or anus. Some women believe that right after having unprotected sex, they need to cleanse themselves thoroughly. A light wash is enough to clean out the semen. Douching doesn’t prevent pregnancy but can cause a bacterial infection. It pushes the bacteria to your pelvis, and you may come down with an infection.

Check for Signs and Symptoms

You should pay attention to your body, especially when picking up on any unusual symptoms. You may feel nauseous, feverish, or in some cases, you noticed you missed your period. You should immediately see a doctor and get a treatment route. Maybe your body didn’t react well to the contraceptive pill, or you have signs and symptoms of pregnancy. Find out what you can do to prevent the pregnancy from developing any further.

Use a Secondary Contraceptive

While most oral contraceptives need consumption within three days, you will have some pills that can get consumed within five days. These are incredibly safe to use and long-lasting, but we recommend visiting your doctor if you plan for the long term.

Get a Copper IUD

Within five days of having intercourse, you should visit a doctor and get a copper IUD implanted. It is non-hormonal contraception and increases the cervical mucus, which keeps sperm away. However, this method is expensive, and you should talk to your insurance company to find out how much they cover.

Get an STI Test Done

You should try and get your STI test. Get yourself tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis within a couple of weeks of having unprotected sex. If the initial tests are negative, go for another test to ensure you don’t have them after six months. If your HIV test comes back positive, the doctor will put you on a course of antiretroviral.

What to Do For Next Time?

As thrilling as unprotected sex, maybe it is not worth the risk. A pregnancy scare if you’re not ready to have a baby can be terrifying. It is also not good for your emotional and physical well-being to run around to make sure you’re not pregnant. For some women taking oral contraceptives may cause unpleasant symptoms. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy sex without a condom. It would help if you didn’t try to skip protection. You can choose nonharmonic contraceptives the next time you decide to have sex.

• Barrier Methods. Excluding condoms, since you want your partner not to wear one. You can go for a female condom that goes inside your vagina. A diaphragm is a rubber or silicone dome that covers the opening of the cervix. A cervical cap is also a rubber device that goes right up against the cervix. When using a cervical cap, make sure you use a spermicide along with it. A spermicide is a jelly you put in your vagina for 15 minutes before sex. Using the gel with any barrier method makes it effective.
• Natural Family Planning. This one is slightly tricky. You need to be aware of your menstrual cycle and your fertility period. It requires intense monitoring of your cycle through a tracking app and avoiding sex when you are ovulating. However, this is a risky method, and you may end up pregnant because you cannot 100% predict or track a cycle.
• Withdrawal. This one is by far the most ineffective method, and you can get pregnant. But if you want to enjoy sex with absolutely no protection, then this method is for you. The withdrawal or pull-out method is when a man pulls out before ejaculating. However, men cannot wholly prevent themselves from ejaculation. There is still a chance a little fluid may escape.
• Copper IUD. It is a device that goes in the vagina. It has copper ions that inflame the vaginal environment making it unsuitable for sperms to thrive.

Wrap Up

When you have unprotected sex, you are at the risk of falling pregnant. To ensure this doesn’t happen while you continue having sex with no condoms, consider protecting yourself. After you’ve had sex, you should rush to the bathroom and clean your vagina without a douche. Consume pills that are effective within three days or pills you can have within five days of having sex. Check for any signs and symptoms that may alarm you. Consider getting an IUD inserted. Finally, make sure you also get yourself tested for STDs, as pregnancies aren’t all you need to worry about.