Most side effects from My Way, a levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptive pill, last only a few days. Nausea, headache, fatigue, and dizziness typically fade within 24 to 48 hours, while changes to your menstrual cycle can take a full cycle to normalize. Here’s what to expect and what’s worth paying attention to.
Common Side Effects and How Long They Last
My Way contains 1.5 mg of levonorgestrel, a synthetic hormone that prevents or delays ovulation. That single large dose can cause a range of short-term side effects as your body processes it:
- Nausea and vomiting: the most commonly reported side effect, usually starting within a few hours and resolving within a day or two.
- Headache and dizziness: often begin the same day and typically clear within 24 to 48 hours.
- Fatigue: feeling unusually tired for a day or two is normal.
- Breast tenderness: may linger slightly longer, but generally fades within a few days.
- Lower abdominal pain: mild cramping that usually passes within a day.
The reason these effects are short-lived comes down to how quickly your body clears the drug. Levonorgestrel has an elimination half-life of about 27.5 hours, meaning roughly half the dose is gone from your system in just over a day. After two to three days, hormone levels drop low enough that most physical side effects stop.
Changes to Your Next Period
Period-related changes are the side effect most likely to outlast everything else. Your next period may arrive earlier than expected, later than expected, or feel different from your usual cycle. Bleeding can be heavier or lighter, and you might notice spotting between periods. These shifts happen because the large hormone dose temporarily disrupts your normal cycle timing.
For most people, the period after that (your second cycle post-pill) returns to its usual pattern. If your period is more than a week late, it’s worth taking a pregnancy test. A missed period after emergency contraception doesn’t always mean the pill failed, but ruling out pregnancy gives you a clear answer.
What to Do If You Vomit After Taking It
If you throw up within three hours of swallowing the pill, your body may not have absorbed enough of the medication for it to work. The CDC recommends taking another dose as soon as possible in that situation. Taking an over-the-counter anti-nausea medication about 30 minutes before your replacement dose can help keep it down the second time. Vomiting that happens more than three hours after taking My Way is not a concern for effectiveness, even though it may feel unpleasant.
Normal Discomfort vs. Warning Signs
The vast majority of side effects from My Way are mild and self-limiting. However, a few situations deserve attention. Severe lower abdominal pain, especially pain concentrated on one side, combined with unusual vaginal bleeding or feeling faint, can signal an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that implants outside the uterus). This is rare, but it’s a medical emergency.
If your side effects are getting worse rather than better after 48 hours, or if you develop a rash, difficulty breathing, or significant swelling, those could indicate an allergic reaction to one of the pill’s ingredients.
Body Weight and How It Affects Your Experience
Research shows that levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptives like My Way may be less effective for people with a BMI of 25 or higher. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists notes that effectiveness can decrease at higher body weights, though they still recommend using it rather than skipping emergency contraception altogether. A copper IUD is the most effective emergency contraceptive regardless of weight. If weight is a concern, an alternative emergency contraceptive containing ulipristal acetate retains effectiveness at a higher weight threshold than levonorgestrel does.
Weight doesn’t appear to change the type or severity of side effects you experience. It primarily affects how well the pill prevents pregnancy.
A Realistic Timeline
Here’s a rough schedule of what to expect after taking My Way:
- First 24 hours: nausea, headache, dizziness, and fatigue are most likely during this window.
- Days 2 to 3: most physical side effects fade noticeably as hormone levels drop.
- Days 3 to 7: spotting or light bleeding may occur in some people.
- Next period: may come a few days early or up to a week late, and the flow may look different from what you’re used to.
- Second cycle onward: your period should return to its normal pattern.
If you’re still feeling significant nausea, pain, or other symptoms beyond the first few days, that’s unusual enough to be worth investigating rather than waiting out.