Where to get the Morning after Pill in the Philippines?

Some basics girls, the Morning after pill is simply the contraceptive pills taken the morning after unprotected sex the night before and the woman is in her fertile period.

For a list of available Emergency Contraception in the Philippines found in local drugstores, please see this separate post

Since contraceptives are banned by the Catholic Church and the government has ceased free distribution of contraceptives in health centers (despite the population boom) most of the public remain clueless in family planning or from at least having kids years apart.

For most women, the Morning after Pill is still unheard of. You can consult any gynecologist or family doctor regarding contraception concerns. I highly recommend that for any pinay or woman, you have the right to good health care and proper information. A good women's health care clinic is FriendlyCare Clinic located in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong and Baclaran in Pasay City. An average doctor's visit will cost you P220, very affordable than hospital rates.

As for the Morning after Pill, Nordette is available at mercury drug. But I suggest you go see a gynecologist first, pills have side effects and nordette may not suit you and make you feel nauseous.

Nordette (levongestrel) is intended to prevent pregnancy when you have experienced known or suspected contraceptive failure (eg, broken condom, stupid boyfriend)

So How Many Pills Should One Take?

Please refer to this link. They have a chart on Nordette (1st Dose - Take within 72 hours of intercourse)

http://www.fwhc.org/birth-control/ecinfo.htm

For more info on Nordette

A site on Morning After Pill

Okay to answer the barrage of posts by Anonymous users -

Is Nordette available in Manila? How much?
Yes in Mercury Drug, it is OTC (Over the Counter), anyone can buy it po. It costs around P150.

I'm afraid to buy it. I feel ashamed. I might get stared at. (Natatakot ako bumili)
Have your bestfriend accompany you at the store when you purchase it. Or have your boyfriend buy it for you. Or if you're very close to an aunt, sister, a legal guardian or even your mother than have her buy it for you over the counter. If you have no one to count on, be brave, this is about your health. Keep in mind, its not a crime to buy an ECP/nordette.

How to Use Nordette:

Take as soon as possible and within 120 hours (5 days) of unprotected intercourse. It may be taken after 120 hours, but its effectiveness is much lower. But gosh 2 weeks is stretching it. The sooner you take it after intercourse the better for it to be effective.

DO NOT TAKE NORDETTE IF YOU ARE PREGNANT ALREADY. Its too late to take ECP now so talk to your parents or boyfriend on what you plan to do now that you are pregnant. Nordette is not safe for pregnant women. 

In 2006, this pack cost around P80 consider the inflation now it might cost P120-P150 pesos now.

How many pills should I take?

Based on this site, they have a table for each brand and for Nordette:

1st Dose - Take within 120 hours of intercourse - 4 round pills
2nd Dose - Take 12 hours after 1st dose - 4 round pills

Please note you are not to consume all those pills in the pack (banig). Unless you plan to be on the "pill". For now, you are simply using Nordette for emergency contraceptive reasons (ECP). If you want to take it regularly as a contraceptive, read the instruction label that goes with the packaging or see your gynecologist.

I want to ask my Gynecologist about Emergency contraceptives? How do I go about this?
Just ask your gyne, "Doc, what effective ECP can you recommend to a woman my age?" Be straightforward. If she looks a bit shocked, tell her "Yeah I had sex and you're in the business of poking vaginas for life." Big Deal. I'm human like the rest of the world. Well, unless you're 12 years old then your Gyne has every right to be in shock. If the doctor refuses to answer you for religious, ethical or personal biases then seek another doctor for consult.

What are the side effects in taking Nordette?

Nausea. Extreme Nausea (pagsusuka, duwal), bloating (laki tyan parang kabagin), PIMPLEs (OMG Tigidig Galore!)

How do I know if the Emergency contraceptive worked? Or if it failed?
You will get your period sooner than expected. If it failed, then most likely you are pregnant. I suggest doing a home kit pregnancy test or an OB visit for a urine sample pregnancy test.

I can't sleep, I'm so stressed - What do I do?
Emergency contraceptives can't guarantee you the peace of mind you need, what it can buy you is time- time to think about how to be more careful next time, time to learn about your body and how to be more attuned to it, time to be more aware about sex and all the things that come with it.

For now, you must wait and let the ECP do its job.

You can relax a bit, get on with your life, meditate, watch Gossip girl, Glee or True Blood. If your period does come the next day, I would suggest torturing your boyfriend a bit more, scare the shit out of him so he'd be responsible enough to be more careful next time - tell the douchebag your pregnant :P