Emergency contraception: an overview.

Emergency contraception can be used to prevent pregnancy when contraception has failed or was not used, or after a sexual assault. Methods of emergency contraception available in Australia include 2 kinds of oral pills (levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate) and the copper intrauterine device. Oral emergency contraception can be obtained from pharmacies without a prescription, while the copper intrauterine device must be inserted by a trained healthcare provider. For greatest effectiveness after unprotected sexual intercourse, oral levonorgestrel should be taken within 72 hours (3 days), ulipristal acetate should be taken within 120 hours (5 days) or the copper intrauterine device should be inserted within 120 hours.