What is emergency contraception?
Unlike other contraceptives that have to be used or inserted before having sex, emergency contraceptives are used or inserted after sex to prevent pregnancy. They can be used after unprotected sex or if the regular method of contraception has failed, for example a condom burst.
There are two types of emergency contraception - morning after pills and the copper IUD.
The copper IUD is more effective as an emergency contraceptive than morning after pills, but unfortunately is not used for this purpose in Malta due to restrictive laws on abortion.
All types of morning pills are available in Malta from community pharmacies without the need of a doctor's prescription.
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