Accidents happen. Women are at risk for unplanned pregnancy due to contraceptive failure or unprotected intercourse. Information about Plan B^® One-Step’s over-the-counter availability and education concerning the safety and efficacy should be introduced into your patients’ standard of care.

The talking points below may help you answer your patients’ questions:

• Plan B^® One-Step is available without a prescription for consumers age 17 or over. Government-issued identification is required for proof of age at the time of purchase.
  
  
• Plan B^® One-Step is available by prescription only for women under 17.
  
  
• Plan B^® One-Step is an FDA-approved single tablet, single dose emergency contraceptive that can help prevent a pregnancy after unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure (for example, if a woman’s partner’s condom slipped or if a woman missed taking birth control pills).
  
  
• Plan B^® One-Step is not the same as RU-486 (the abortion pill). Plan B^® One-Step works in a similar way to regular birth control pills to help prevent an unplanned pregnancy. If a woman takes Plan B^® One-Step after she is already pregnant, it will not affect the pregnancy.
  
  
• Plan B^® One-Step contains only 1 tablet. Women should take it as soon as possible within 72 hours (3 days) of unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure.
  
  
• The sooner a woman takes Plan B^® One-Step, the more effective it is. When taken as directed, approximately seven out of eight women who would have gotten pregnant will not become pregnant after taking Plan B^® One-Step.
  
  
• Plan B^® One-Step should not be used as regular birth control because it is not as effective as routine birth control methods.
  
  
• Plan B^® One-Step does not protect women from HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS) or any other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
  
  
• Plan B^® One-Step works in a similar way to regular birth control pills. It prevents pregnancy (mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary), and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B^® One-Step may also work by preventing it from attaching to the uterus (womb). Plan B^® One-Step will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus.
  
  
• Women may experience nausea when taking Plan B^® One-Step. In the event that a patient vomits within two hours of taking a Plan B^® One-Step tablet, consideration should be given to repeating the dose.
  
  
• If a woman experiences severe abdominal pain after taking Plan B^® One-Step, she may have an ectopic pregnancy and should seek immediate medical attention.

Encourage your patients to visit the Consumers section of this website or call the 24-hour, toll-free hotline below for more information on Plan B^® One-Step and emergency contraception.

Patient may also use this hotline to get healthcare professional support and order patient education materials (which can be downloaded from this website; see Information and Support).

       1-800-330-1271