Emergency contraception: medical guidance

As soon as possible. Emergency contraception works best the sooner it is taken after unprotected sex.

The consultation starts in writing. Your doctor writes to you or calls you when they need to know more, and refers you to an in-person visit if needed.

Emergency pills can be used up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex, but not every type works that long, so the doctor chooses the one that fits your timing. After 5 days, an emergency pill is no longer suitable. Contact a sexual-health or contraception clinic urgently: a copper IUD may still be an option.

Yes. It is the most effective emergency contraception and the only one that still works after ovulation. It is fitted at a health centre or clinic, ideally within 5 days, and can then stay in as your regular contraception. The questionnaire asks whether you could get one quickly, and the doctor can tell you where to go.

Yes. Higher body weight can make emergency pills work less well, and some medicines, such as certain epilepsy, tuberculosis or HIV treatments and St John's wort, can reduce their effect. That is why the questionnaire asks about both. The doctor may then choose a different pill, adjust the dose or recommend a copper IUD.

Nausea, headache, tummy pain, breast tenderness and a change in your next period are common and usually pass within a few days. If you vomit within 3 hours of taking it, tell the doctor, because another dose is needed. Severe or one-sided lower tummy pain, heavy bleeding or fainting need urgent in-person care.

Use condoms until your regular contraception is working again; the doctor tells you when to restart it, as this depends on the pill. Take a pregnancy test if your next period is more than 7 days late or unusually light, or 3 weeks after the unprotected sex. Emergency pills do not protect against infections, so consider an STI test too.

The consultation is €35, one-off, with no subscription. If a prescription is issued, the medicine is paid at your pharmacy.

You receive a full refund, and the doctor explains why in your account.

We offer six focused consultation pathways. Choose the one that best matches your symptoms or situation:

Every sexual-health pathway is a €35 one-off consultation. Sexual health is not included in a subscription. A doctor's review arrives in less than 2 hours on average; this is an average, not a guaranteed response time. Medication is paid for separately at the pharmacy if prescribed.

Most often tablets, taken before sex or daily at a low dose. In specific cases a topical option is used. The doctor selects the most suitable option based on your history, current medication and lifestyle.

These are medications with decades of clinical use and generally well tolerated. But they are contraindicated if you take nitrates or have severe cardiovascular disease. That's why the questionnaire explicitly asks about cardiac medication. It's not a formality.

Yes. A topical option can be considered when tablets do not suit you. In resistant cases, the doctor may recommend an in-person urology referral to evaluate other causes (hormonal, vascular, psychological).

Fully. All communication happens through the private chat on your account. We send nothing by postal mail with the Hi Doctor name visible; the prescription is digital.

Yes, it's one of the reasons we ask for a detailed cardiovascular history. Erectile dysfunction can be an early sign of cardiovascular disease, and sometimes an in-person check-up is advisable before treating it only pharmacologically.