Emergency Contraception

It is vital to Stratus Healthcare that we are constantly evolving and thinking of more ways to make it easier for you to take care and look after yourself. That is why we have created this online consultation form so you can collect the morning after pill with ease and comfort. The morning after pill is available without prescription to women over 17 years of age, subject to meeting certain criteria.

Here at Stratus Healthcare, we understand that getting the morning after pill can be a daunting and uncomfortable experience and we wanted to address this.

How does it work?

The online consultation form takes 5-10 minutes and on completion of the consultation form, you will receive an email confirming its submission. We will contact you shortly to arrange payment after we have checked your form and decided which emergency contraception suits you best. You can either pay instore or online.

You are then free to call into our Waterford pharmacy and collect your medication. Your emergency contraception should be ready to collect from the pharmacy in less than an hour. Of course, this is subject to our pharmacy’s opening hours.

If you have any questions, you can still speak with one of our pharmacists when you come into the pharmacy; the pharmacists will have your completed form and medication with them. We have asked for your phone number so that we may call you with any queries we may have. This will allow for speed, efficiency and a better experience on your part.

The emergency contraception medications available are Ramonna & EllaOne.

The Morning After Pill Click & Collect service is available in our Waterford pharmacy:

Stratus Healthcare Pharmacy, Waterford Health Park, Slievekeale Road, Waterford X91 X3HY

• Please take the single emergency contraceptive pill as soon as possible. The tablet should be swallowed whole with a glass of water and preferably taken within 12 hours of unprotected sex and no longer than 72-120 hours (3-5 days) after intercourse.
• Please read the patient information leaflet inside the emergency contraception box.
• Your next period may be slightly earlier or delayed and lighter or heavier than normal due to taking the morning after pill.
• If your period is more than 5 days late, we advise that you take a pregnancy test.
• Emergency contraception does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs); speak to one of our pharmacists or contact your GP if you have any questions about STIs or visit www.thinkcontraception.ie for more information.

Effectiveness

• Emergency contraception can be effective up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex.
• The efficacy of the morning after pill is higher the sooner after unprotected sex has occurred.

Side Effects

Common side effects of morning after pill include:

• nausea
• dizziness
• headache
• low abdominal pain
• fatigue
• breast tenderness
• delay or heavy menses
• vomiting

Vomiting

• If vomiting occurs within 3 hours of taking the morning after pill, please visit the pharmacy for a repeat dose.

• Emergency contraception does not interfere with the use of regular hormonal contraception and this should be taken as normal.
• EllaOne may make regular hormonal contraceptives temporarily less effective so a barrier method e.g. condom, should be used until your next menstrual period.
• Regardless of which morning after pill you are advised on taking, a barrier method should be used when having sexual intercourse until your next menstrual period.

Long Term Contraception

There are many methods of contraception available. It’s important to choose contraception that fits your situation and lifestyle. It’s always a good idea to discuss your contraceptive choices with your GP, as you may need to experiment to find what works best for you.

Please be informed that your data will be held for a maximum of 2 years, inline with Data Protection Requirements.