Jane, an 18-year-old freshman, grips her pillow as she waits for the results of her pregnancy… Jane, an 18-year-old freshman, grips her pillow as she waits for the results of her pregnancy test. When her alarm goes off, she jolts out of bed and runs to the bathroom. Positive. Shocked, she realizes one accident has brought her to a choice she never wanted to make.

Three million unintended pregnancies occur every year in the United States, and half of them happen to women using a regular method of contraception. Why? Accidents happen. Many of you are probably struggling to remember the last time you took your birth control pill, or are squirming while remembering the time when the condom broke or the diaphragm slipped. Or, you had sex when you didn’t plan to or want to.

Next time an accident or emergency happens, remember that you can prevent a potential pregnancy before it happens. The Emergency Contraception pill, sometimes referred to as “the morning-after pill” is a higher dose of the hormones used in birth control pills. Most recent studies show that EC pills can reduce the risk of pregnancy up to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse. If taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, it can reduce the risk of pregnancy by 89 percent. The sooner you take EC, the more effective it is. EC is commonly confused with the Abortion Pill (known as RU-486 or Mifeprex), which is taken within the first month of pregnancy and causes an actual abortion.

EC is not a form of abortion, since it only works before a woman is pregnant, and it will not affect an existing pregnancy or harm a fetus. Medical science defines the beginning of pregnancy as the implantation of a fertilized egg in the lining of a woman’s uterus. Implantation begins five to seven days after fertilization (and is completed several days later). EC works before fertilization, by inhibiting or delaying ovulation, inhibiting tubal transport of the egg or sperm, interfering with fertilization, and sometimes works by altering the endometrium (the lining of the uterus).

Studies have shown that 92 percent of women who take EC would use EC again only if necessary and believe it should only be reserved for an emergency only. Also, 97 percent of women who have taken EC would recommend it to a friend. Currently, legislation is being introduced that would require physicians to offer EC to women in emergency rooms who are victims of rape.

Unfortunately, nine out of 10 women don’t know about EC. Many of you probably don’t know that you can get EC here at Student Health. Many of you also probably don’t know that you can get an advance prescription of EC, just in case. Pitt is one of the few colleges where students fought for EC availability on-campus and won the battle. Widespread awareness and the use of EC could prevent as many as 1.7 million unintended pregnancies and 800,000 abortions each year.

Next time, instead of holding your breath, waiting for the results of a pregnancy test, make an appointment at Student Health for EC as soon as an accident happens.