Aftera and Cramps: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• September 25, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "I'm never one to write any types of reviews, but I felt like I needed to write one now since this was the only thing that kept me sane while I was waiting for my period. Firstly, just breathe, you're gonna be okay. I had unprotected sex on the night of 9/3, he didn't pull out, he completely finished in me. I am not on birth control. Not even an hour after, we ran out and bought Aftera (they were sold out of Plan B). Turns out my ovulation day was 9/4! I was going crazy because I did experience side effects like headaches, feeling very sleepy, and cramping. I was supposed to get my period on 9/18, and it came on 9/20!! Only 2 days late. Ladies, try not to freak yourselves out. I know it's hard, but this pill works!! The more you stress, the later your period could potentially be, so just try not to think about it because there's nothing you can do right now. Just remember there are so many other females going through the same exact thing. You're not alone, stay positive, and good luck to all of you!!"

• Col...
• June 29, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "I am so thankful I am not pregnant and it did the job, but this pill seriously messed up my cycle and had me so anxious for about two months. I wasn’t due to get my period for another two weeks at the time I took the pill. Six days later, I started bleeding, and it lasted about four days. The first two days it was maybe enough to fill tampons, but the other days it was very light, like only there when I wiped. Fast forward to when my period was scheduled to come - still no period. I ended up getting my period ten days late, but I could have sworn I was pregnant. I had been having creamy white discharge for about two weeks and had been feeling bloated with cramps and headaches - this NEVER happens to me! My period is here now, but it’s significantly lighter than it normally is. I have taken Plan B once before in the past, and I never had any problems at all. Ladies, please spend the extra $10, or even better, get on regular birth control! Also, stay off Google to stay sane."

• If...
• March 19, 2017

For Emergency Contraception "I am a teen, and if you are one too, you might want to read this if you're stressing and want to know how this works. I had sex with my boyfriend, he came in me with no condom. We bought Aftera about 1 hour later. My boobs were sore for about two weeks, it first started the day after I had taken the pill. The pain may get really bad, but just breathe and relax, it's a side effect. I got cramps here and there, but it would feel like a little kick to my stomach. Then I had spotting for one day. I thought I was pregnant because of the dark color, but that is also a side effect. Just breathe and let the pill do its work. Plan B and Aftera are the same thing, same ingredients. Don't dig through every website trying to see if you're pregnant or not, it's okay."

• TTa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 10, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "I took Aftera (an hour post-sex) after I realized I was in my fertile window (5 days before ovulation), and my partner and I had unprotected sex (used the withdrawal method). I remember waking up the next day, and I felt as if I had the stomach flu and my period at the same time. I did not have any sort of bleeding or spotting in between me taking the pill and my period (which came a week early). I had much more discharge, cramps, and bloating for about 2 weeks. I had severe anxiety due to reading that the chances of Aftera working in your fertile window are lower. THAT IS NOT TRUE! My period came a week early, and I had severe PMS symptoms beforehand. My period is extremely heavy with painful cramps. DO NOT GOOGLE YOUR SYMPTOMS BECAUSE IT WILL SAY PREGNANCY! The internet does not know your body, only you do. Trust the pill!"

• abc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 17, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "I wanted to share my experience that was very different from everyone else's on here. Not only did this work and did not get pregnant, but I experienced no side effects at all. No cramps, nausea, anything. I was actually so shocked because after reading these reviews, I was so scared... while it may have side effects for some people, I just wanted to share that at least I'm one example of someone for whom this worked completely with no pain! :)"

• kka...
• April 19, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "A week ago, I had pull-out sex with a guy friend - desperate times, desperate measures - and he pulled out in time. But I checked my app, and I was in my fertile window, so I freaked out and went to CVS at 2 am, and Aftera was all they had in store. So I took a chance, and I didn't really notice any symptoms besides sore boobs. Then this morning, I woke up and was cramping really bad and had brown spotting. Of course, Google said it was implantation bleeding, so I sped to Walmart to get a pregnancy test. Of course, it was going to come back negative, it's only been a week. But I am super high anxiety, and I did some more research and discovered it was just the pill working. It is 5 am, and I'm sitting here still freaking out, reading through all these for peace of mind, and I started bleeding with clots. As far as I know, I'm not pregnant, so I'll say it worked for me! Girls, stay off the internet."

• cle...
• July 8, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "My boyfriend finished in me. My period tracker said it was the day of ovulation. I took Aftera within an hour after sex. I heard it doesn't work when you ovulate, but app trackers are not always 100% accurate, so I was hoping I hadn't ovulated yet or that I ovulated earlier. The pill is designed to delay your ovulation by 4-5 days (the number of days it takes sperm to die). If you haven't ovulated yet, your ovulation will be delayed by 4-5 days, hence why people experience spotting. I assume it's an indication of your delayed ovulation. For people who don't spot, hang in there because you might have ovulated earlier, so the pill, in retrospect, wasn't necessary. Symptoms: I suffered from severe nausea and cramps for 10 days up until my flow came. Usually, my boobs become really sore, but they weren't this time. I was one of the lucky ones, I assume I had ovulated 1 day earlier than the app predicted."

• Ama...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 24, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "I left a previous review about how amazing Aftera was for me, but I have a disclaimer: It CAN delay your period. It CAN cause mood swings and irritation. It CAN give you cramps, weakness, and simply make your body feel off-whack. But for the wonders it worked, it was totally worth it."

• LGa...
• June 15, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "I had unprotected sex on June 1st. The condom broke, and I was in my fertile days. I have been on birth control pills for like 5 years, but the last couple of months, I had not been taking them responsibly. I was pretty worried, so I took Aftera. 1) Aftera is the SAME as Plan B, it is the generic version. 2) Once I took Aftera, I had the worst nausea of my life. I stayed in bed all day, and I had abdominal cramping for 2 weeks. 3) Aftera WORKS. I went to my doctor on June 14th for a blood pregnancy test (they are more accurate) because I couldn't wait any longer to know. It came back negative. After convincing myself I was pregnant for 2 very long, stressful weeks, I found out I wasn't, and Aftera did its job. I have taken Aftera before and did not have any side effects, but this time I had pretty bad ones: spotting (the week before my period, which made me think it was implantation bleeding), headaches, bad cramping, nausea, etc. All in all, like everyone says on here, trust the pill."

• LGa...
• June 15, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "I had unprotected sex on June 1st. The condom broke, and I was in my fertile days. I have been on birth control pills for like 5 years, but the last couple of months, I had not been taking them responsibly. I was pretty worried, so I took Aftera. 1) Aftera is the SAME as Plan B, it is the generic version. 2) Once I took Aftera, I had the worst nausea of my life. I stayed in bed all day, and I had abdominal cramping for 2 weeks. 3) Aftera WORKS. I went to my doctor on June 14th for a blood pregnancy test (they are more accurate) because I couldn't wait any longer to know. It came back negative. After convincing myself I was pregnant for 2 very long, stressful weeks, I found out I wasn't, and Aftera did its job. I have taken Aftera before and did not have any side effects, but this time I had pretty bad ones: spotting (the week before my period, which made me think it was implantation bleeding), headaches, bad cramping, nausea, etc. All in all, like everyone says on here, trust the pill."

• Pri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 9, 2022

For Emergency Contraception "I wanted to write a review because reading reviews was the only thing that helped me relax while waiting for my period. I took Aftera 15 days ago after having unprotected sex. He completely finished inside of me twice, and this was 2-3 days before ovulation. I waited 40 hours before I took the pill because I had a big workday the day after the incident, and I remember that I always have had terrible side effects with morning-after pills. But I wouldn’t suggest that! Take the pill right away!! And man, oh man, the side effects are terrible for me. I swore I was pregnant. I was dizzy off and on with nausea for the past two weeks. My boobs were huge, and I had cramping pretty much since I took the pill. The cramping was not like normal period cramps, which made me nervous because I was worried about implantation cramping. Part of me was so worried I was pregnant. But my period came one day before it was supposed to, and I feel so relieved. Try to hang in there! Let’s try and practice safe sex!"

• Jes...
• September 3, 2017

For Emergency Contraception "During unprotected sexual intercourse, he fully ejaculated inside of me (I guess on accident, I'm not even sure). But I did not want a kid at all, so he offered to get me the pill. About 43 hours later, I took Aftera, which I was kind of worried about because it was the off-brand, but I took it anyway. About a week later, I had bleeding for 4 days (not my period), and ever since then, I had very bad symptoms including cramps, back pains, headaches, and much more. I always felt tired and was very moody, but needless to say, about 13 days late, I ended up getting my period! This pill worked for me, but I am pretty sure it has a lot to do with the fact that all this happened right when my last period ended, so I was for sure not ovulating. But don't worry!"

• Anonymous
• November 12, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "Sharing my experience because these reviews calmed me down! Disclaimer: I probably wasn't going to get pregnant regardless of Aftera, so I can't attest to its effectiveness. I am on the combination pill for birth control, but I had missed two pills prior to my placebo week, and the condom broke when I was having sex on 10/23 after my placebo week (he did not finish in me). I took Aftera 8 hours after, and I didn't experience any cramps or nausea, but I broke out so bad on my chin about a day after. I have awful anxiety, and I was so worried about getting pregnant that I was making myself nauseous and crampy for the next couple of weeks. Today (11/12), I took a First Response test, and it was negative! Stay off of Google, you will most likely be totally okay! Worrying will only make you experience pregnancy symptoms, and I had literally convinced myself that I was pregnant. Take a deep breath and take a test after three weeks if you're stressed."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 13, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "My period is over an entire month late, about 40 days now. How normal is this? After 2 weeks of my missed period, that is when I started to freak out. I've been taking pregnancy tests about 2 times a day, even went to the doctor, who confirmed I am not pregnant. My cramps are crazy, beyond this world in pain. I have a lot of anxiety. I've taken Plan B in the past and never had this issue."

• Jus...
• November 16, 2016

For Emergency Contraception "This product worked well for me. I took it 24 hours after unprotected sex, and it worked well for me. It cost $39.99 at CVS, about $10 cheaper than Plan B, and to me, it was worth it. Although I was nervous to buy the generic brand because of the reviews, it worked well in my eyes. The only symptoms I received were mild cramping and a slight headache, but nothing too crazy. The only downfall to this product is it made my period 2 days late, but yet again, my period dates fluctuate so much that it could have just been on time. P.S. I weigh about 275 pounds for anyone who is concerned about there being a weight limit."

• Anonymous
• March 19, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "My boyfriend and I had unprotected sex (I know, stupid!) because he forgot a condom on Sunday, March 10th, around 6:30 pm, he came in me. I had ovulated 8 days before on March 2nd and was expecting my period a week from March 10th. We’re both late teens, so we are way too young to have a child. I took Aftera the next day around 4:30 pm (22 hours after sex) and felt fine the rest of the day. I had bad cramping and bloating for the next 3 days. I also experienced fatigue. My period was a day late. BUT IT WORKED!!! Don’t stress, everything's gonna be okay."

• big...
• June 8, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "My boyfriend and I had unprotected sex on the morning of May 18th (4 days after my period ended). He did not finish inside of me, but after reading stuff about pre-cum, I began to freak myself out. I am not on any type of birth control and was getting close to my predicted day of ovulation, so I went to the pharmacy and took the pill 13 hours after. 5 days after taking it, I began to get horrible cramps and bled for 3 days. The bleeding was light and not like a normal period. I also experienced intense mood swings and intrusive thoughts. I was so sad that not even my boyfriend or best friend could cheer me up. I also had the ovulation-type discharge for about 2 weeks. The side effects of this pill often mimic pregnancy symptoms, so try not to read too much on the internet. While it has been a long and anxiety-filled month, I woke up today to see that my period arrived pretty much on schedule (1 day late) and I have never been happier! Your period will come even if the pill throws you off a bit :)"

• jaz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "Aftera worked 100% for me. I had unprotected sex, and he came inside of me, but 4-5 hours later I took Aftera, and a week later I got my period. The cramps were a lot worse, but it was definitely worth it."

• Lea...
• October 12, 2018

For Emergency Contraception "I took Aftera about 12 hours after unprotected sex on the day I was ovulating. I opted for Aftera because Plan B wasn't available where I was. I have taken Plan B, ella, and other emergency contraceptives before. All very effective with little to no noticeable side effects, other than throwing off your period's schedule. With Aftera, I didn't have any side effects until about 7 days after I took the pill. An extreme amount of bloating, cramps, extremely sore breasts, and a tightening feeling in the stomach, which for me made me feel as if I were pregnant. Being that with both of my pregnancies, the tightening of the stomach was my most noticeable change in my body. I wasn't due for my period until 13 days after I had sex and wasn't initially worried, but with all of the side effects and having unprotected sex when ovulating, it had me feeling as if I was pregnant. Day 11 arrived, and the side effects were so strong, but my period started. NOT pregnant!"

• Jad...
• October 11, 2018

For Emergency Contraception "So I took Aftera because I had unprotected sex on the last day of my period. He didn’t finish inside of me, but I was worried about precum. After taking the pill, I started feeling tightness in my stomach and cramps. About a couple of days later, I also had some spotting a few days later from taking the pill. About three weeks later, I had tiredness, mood swings, headaches, more urination, fatigue, increased hunger... just about the symptoms for pregnancy. Now my period was 9 DAYS LATE! But I got pink discharge, then I started officially bleeding about three days after the discharge. But I got my period, right now I don’t know about its heaviness or anything, but it feels like it’s going to be a little bit more harsh than normal but pretty normal. It works! I'm not sure if it will work if you had unprotected sex while ovulating. I was very stressed and anxious, so I made sure to leave a review for other women experiencing similar situations! Hope this helps! Good luck!!!"

• Gab...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 2, 2017

For Emergency Contraception "My boyfriend and I had sex on the very last day of my period. I keep careful track of it and keep note. Without noticing, the condom broke and came in me (Jan 20). It was 6 a.m. and there were no pharmacies open around me, so I had to wait until 10, a good 4 hours after the incident. CVS didn't have Plan B and opted for Aftera, the next available. She said it was the same thing, only $10 less. Two weeks after taking the pill, I had terrible breast tenderness, swelling, I had light cramps that would come and go every so often. Three weeks came and still no period. FINALLY, on Feb 18, my period came. This pill is extremely strong, different side effects for different people. Hope this helps someone. GOOD LUCK, GIRLS!"

• Nat...
• May 1, 2016

For Emergency Contraception "I know you're here reading this to see if it really works, and YES, it WORKS. Well, it was my birthday, and my friend and I went off messing around, and well, then this happened, that he finished in me, and I, well, am not ready at all to be a mom, neither is he ready to be a dad. So we went to a pharmacy five hours after the happening, and yes, it's pretty expensive, but it's worth it in the end. So anyways, I took it five hours after the accident. It was really nerve-wracking, so then, the next day, I felt nauseous, and well, major headaches throughout, but nothing unbearable. You'll get cramps here and there. It's been exactly a week from the deed, and I got my period finally, and well, I've never been happier for my period."

• Van...
• August 19, 2017

For Emergency Contraception "Before I begin, I want to explain that I am 18, and I have NEVER had unprotected sex (until this time) and never used a contraception pill. I had unprotected sex on August 29 and again on August 30, he did not cum in me, but I was very scared about precum and skeptical whether or not he might have pulled out on time and some of it might have gotten in me. He told me he was 80% sure he didn't, but that wasn't enough for me. On August 30, I took Aftera about 3 hours after having intercourse. The symptoms were crazy, I had cramps, dizziness, nausea, and I began spotting, which scared the heck out of me about 3 days before I got my period. But I got my period on September 18 on time!"

• Eca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 27, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "I still don't know if this pill works. I'm late a few days, my breasts feel like they're going to explode, and I get these light to moderate cramping every single day. I didn't feel symptoms right away, it actually started like a week after, and it's been two weeks already. I took Aftera after ovulation, so I hope it doesn't fail me."

• Sca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 8, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "I took this pill after I had unprotected sex. I went in wanting to buy a Plan B, the cashier asked me if I wanted to buy Aftera. It's cheaper, she said, it worked the same. I took the pill, a few hours later, I was having cramps, tender breasts. It felt like a cold. Anyway, the pill worked for me, but I got my period 6 days late. I was panicking the whole time thinking I was pregnant. I took a test, it came out negative. If I were to buy the morning pill again, I would definitely go for Plan B, no matter the price. My period was always on time with it."