Ulipristal Oral: Emergency Contraception Guidance

Therapeutic action

Hormonal contraceptive, progesterone receptor modulator with agonist and antagonist effects.

Indications

Emergency contraception after unprotected or inadequately protected intercourse, such as a forgotten pill or condom breakage.

Forms and strengths

• 30 mg tablet.

Dose and duration

• One 30 mg tablet, whatever the day of the cycle, as soon as possible after unprotected or inadequately protected intercourse and preferably within the first 120 hours, 5 days.

Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions

• May cause headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, and disturbance of the next menstrual cycle.
• Re-administer treatment immediately if vomiting occurs within 3 hours of taking treatment.
• Use with caution in patients taking drugs that might decrease ulipristal effectiveness, including omeprazole, antacids, rifampicin, rifabutin, efavirenz, nevirapine, lopinavir, ritonavir, phenobarbital, phenytoin, carbamazepine, and griseofulvin.
• Avoid combination with hormonal contraceptives because effectiveness of both ulipristal and the hormonal contraceptive may be reduced if taken immediately after ulipristal.
• Pregnancy: if pregnancy develops after treatment failure or if used during an undiagnosed pregnancy, there is no known harm for the foetus.
• Breast-feeding: no contra-indication.
• Emergency contraception is intended to prevent pregnancy and cannot terminate an ongoing pregnancy.