How long plan b stays in your system

Before we get into it, let me quickly put your mind at ease: Plan B is a very effective, incredibly safe form of emergency contraception that stops a pregnancy from happening.

Still, you might experience some unpleasant side effects. Simply, Plan B is an over-the-counter OTC pill that contains a highly concentrated dose of hormones to block a pregnancy after unprotected P-in-V intercourse has occurred. Per Planned Parenthood , if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, the morning-after pill can decrease your chance of getting pregnant by 79 to 89 percent.

It takes five to seven days for the sperm and egg to meet, and Plan B is meant to be taken within 72 hours, aka before this meetup happens. One thing to note: Unfortunately, Plan B may be less effective in people with a weight of pounds or higher.

The difference here, per Dr. And per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , sperm can chill in the body for up to five days. So…I guess you could call this the only good form of ghosting? Levonorgestrel is a synthetic hormone that mimics the sex hormone progesterone, which prevents ovulation and, hence, pregnancy. Plan B and other emergency contraceptives contain 1. That's three times more than what you get in a regular birth control pill. As a result, this large, concentrated dose can cause side effects like:.

While plan B side effects can be uncomfortable, they shouldn't feel excessively extreme or severe. Pelvic pain and a disruption in your cycle should be the most severe side effects of taking plan B. If you experience side effects that go beyond these symptoms, or if they worsen after more than a few days, consider consulting a doctor. Moreover, if you notice irregularities in your period persisting for more than one cycle, take a pregnancy test. But here is what the experience could look like if you decide to use Plan B.

And could it affect your ability to get pregnant in the future? We asked experts to weigh in. The most common morning-after pills are over-the-counter tablets containing higher doses of levonorgestrel, a synthetic progestin hormone that is also in oral contraceptives.

These pills work by preventing the ovary from releasing an egg, which in turn means you don't ovulate, lowering the risk of male sperm fertilizing an egg. If you have unprotected sex , you should take Plan B as soon as possible; they work best within the first three days after sex. While the morning-after pill won't have harmful long-term effects on your body, taking it multiple times can turn your hormones upside-down, says Sherry A.

You might experience unpleasant side effects after taking Plan B, she explains, including nausea and lower abdominal cramps in addition to irregular bleeding. A person with hepatic impairment as a result of a condition like cirrhosis is unlikely to efficiently metabolize levonorgestrel. This poor metabolism of levonorgestrel is likely to increase serum concentrations and contribute to prolonged elimination after administration.

Individuals with compromised hepatic function will exhibit reductions in CYP enzyme function. Usually this reduction in enzymatic function of CYP is directly proportional to the degree of hepatic impairment. A person with mild hepatic impairment may retain levonorgestrel for slightly longer than average, whereas an individual with severe hepatic impairment may retain levonorgestrel for substantially longer than average.

If you have a high BMR, it is known that your body is essentially burning more energy in a resting state than someone with a low BMR. This increased energy expenditure tends to expedite metabolism and elimination of exogenous substances. In cases of hyperthyroidism associated with an extremely high BMR, drugs are often eliminated substantially quicker than average. In cases of hypothyroidism associated with a low BMR, drugs are eliminated slower than average.

Though most users are unlikely to be at the extremes of BMR associated with thyroid dysfunction, whether you have a high or low BMR may have a modest impact on levonorgestrel elimination. Other drugs : It is well-documented that levonorgestrel interferes with the metabolism of other drugs, but on the flipside, it is important to acknowledge that other agents whether it be drugs or supplements could alter the metabolism of levonorgestrel.

Since levonorgestrel is thought to be metabolized by CYP isoenzymes such as CYP3A4 and CYP1A2 — any co-administered agent that affects the function of the aforementioned isoenzymes will alter the kinetics of levonorgestrel. Should you have taken an inducer along with Plan B, it may expedite metabolism of levonorgestrel leading to faster elimination.

Renal function : A majority of each Plan B dosage is excreted via the kidneys. If you have compromised renal function, it is possible that you may retain levonorgestrel metabolites for a longer duration than usual. Renal impairment is known to cause accumulation of exogenous substances prior to their elimination, potentially contributing to reabsorption and redistribution throughout the body.

The extent to which your kidney function is impaired may be reflective upon how long Plan B stays in your system. Someone with a mild form of renal impairment may eliminate levonorgestrel with relative efficiency compared to someone with more significant impairment.

If your kidney function is optimal, excretion of levonorgestrel metabolites should remain efficient.

In around 1. Unlike many pharmaceutical drugs, it is not subject to extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism. However, some of the levonorgestrel is broken down by CYP isoenzymes and undergoes reduction of the delta-4 and 3-oxo group, as well as hydroxylation at 2-alpha, 1-beta, and beta positions. This is followed by conjugation at the beta-OH position to facilitate formation of sulfates and to a lesser extent glucuronides. In humans, the notable metabolites within plasma derived from levonorgestrel include conjugated and unconjugated sulfates:.

Systemic plasma elimination of Plan B should take around 5. Most users taking Plan B once should expect to have fully excreted the drug in under 2 weeks. It is necessary to caution that none of these tips should be implemented immediately after taking Plan B. Furthermore, should you consider implementing any of the strategies below as a means of detoxification, you should first confirm safety and alleged efficacy with a medical professional. If you took Plan B, share a comment mentioning how long you believe it stayed in your system.

Do you think that the levonorgestrel component lingered in your system for longer than 6 days? Or do you think that you were able to eliminate most of it in a shorter duration? Many women speculate that Plan B stays in their body for longer than is medically reported due to the side effects that are experienced.

While there is some variation in elimination time among users possibly by several days , in the vast majority of Plan B users, it should be out of the plasma within 1 to 2 weeks after cessation. In the event that a woman were to ingest high doses of Plan B frequently for a long-term, it could take longer than 2 weeks to eliminate from the plasma. The levonorgestrel can induce neurophysiologic changes and it may take your body awhile to readjust itself back to homeostasis — even though the drug is no longer in your plasma.

Should you have any further concern about Plan B staying in your system for an abnormally long duration, consult a medical professional. I took plan B Tuesday evening.