Ella is a pill used as a form of emergency birth control when you are worried about pregnancy after sex. The Morning After Pill interacts with the hormone (aka chemical) progesterone in your body to delay the release of an egg, which is needed for pregnancy to occur.

You can pick up Ella at a pharmacy with a prescription, which you can get from a health care provider. You can take Ella up to 5 days (120 hours) after the sex that you are worried about and Ella is just as effective on day 1 as it is on day 5 after sex. It’s common to feel nauseous after taking Ella and for Ella to cause a delayed period. If you throw up within 1 hour after taking Ella consult a healthcare provider for next steps as you may need to take an additional pill.

Ella usually costs between $50 to $90 depending on which pharmacy you go to.