Studies have indicated that emergency contraception is approximately 75 percent effective in cases where a pregnancy would have occurred. This means that if four women, would have otherwise become pregnant, use emergency contraception pills, three can avoid an unwanted pregnancy.

Plan B is a contraceptive which is composed solely of progesterone while Nordette is a progesterone and estrogen medication.

"Anyone who can take the birth control pill can take the morning after pill." Beckman said. "It is very hassle free."

The morning after pill is not an over-the-counter prescription and students must be prescribed the medication by a nurse practitioner, physicians assistant or physician. It is available on a walk-in basis at the Student Health Center's Acute Care Clinic. However, it must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse and is given in more than one dose. The longer you wait to take the first dose, the less effective this method will be.

The morning after pill is chemically different from, but often confused with "the abortion pill," RU486, which is not widely available in the US and is taken several weeks into an established pregnancy.The morning after pill has enough progesterone to make the body think it is already pregnant, thus preventing conception.

Emergency contraception has been available at the Student Health Center for more than 20 years and is easily accessible and cost efficient. Plan B and Nordette each cost $3. Nordette is given with two doses and most female students need to purchase antinausea medication for an additional $32, Beckman said.

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