Do you know anyone who has ever become pregnant without meaning to? Has it ever happened to you? If you don't know anyone personally who's been in that situation, then listen to this: women in the U.S. become pregnant "by accident" one to two times, on average, before they turn 45 years old. And many of these pregnancies happen before age 25.

So this information is for you: if you and your partner ever have unprotected sexual intercourse--if you have a mistake happen like you don't use birth control, or the condom breaks, or you forget to take the pills for three days in a row--there's something you can do AFTER having sex to prevent pregnancy. It's called emergency contraceptive pills. (Some people know them as morning after pills.)

Emergency contraceptive pills are a special combo of birth control pills you get from a doctor, that reduce a woman's chance of pregnancy by at least 75%! How do these magic whoops-we-messed-up pills work? It's pretty simple, actually.

The pills work the same way as regular birth control pills--but at turbo speed: primarily they stop or delay ovulation, but they can also prevent fertilization or implantation. That process could also be called, It Takes Two to Tango, and If the Egg Bails on the Sperm, The Tango Ain't Gonna Happen. (Your doctor would explain preventing ovulation as: the pills stop an egg from being released from a woman's ovaries, which are the two egg-producing factories in a woman's body.)

Ah, but wait, you say. There must be a down side to this miracle-worker. Well of course there is.If you have unprotected sex, you need to make like 007 and get yourself these pills in t minus 72 hours after the Big Whoops Incident. That's three whole days, you say. Sure, but let's look at how it might happen with Dick and Jane: Dick and Jane have a condom break when having sex at six o'clock on Friday night. Jane says to Dick, No worries mate, I'll pick up a pack of those emergency contraceptive pills on Monday. Dick says, But Pumpkin, we'll be in class all Monday until six. So Dick and Jane call Jane's ob/gyn or clinic on Saturday to see if she can pick up the pills that day instead of Monday.

What if you or your partner don't have a regular doctor or clinic to call? Or if you do, what if they can't fit you into their schedule until it's too late? That's when you call this number for a directory of health care providers offering emergency contraceptive pills: 1-888-NOT-2-LATE. In fact, you can get that same info on the Web at www.not-2-late.com.

Why else might you want to hurry and pick up your emergency contraceptive pills, like, NOW? Because the pills prevent pregnancy even better if you take them sooner than 72 hours after sex. In fact, lots of doctors are giving women packs of emergency contraceptive pills to take home with them just in case they ever need them so timing won't be a problem anymore. Ask your doctor if she or he can prescribe you some emergency contraceptive pills next time you have an annual exam or GYN check-up.

Down sides

Now some of you in the audience are shaking your heads and saying, I know a friend who took those pills and felt SICK to her stomach for DAYS. Yuck. No way man, not gonna go there. Well, yes, that's down side Number Two with emergency contraceptive pills. They can make women feel queasy for 24 to 48 hours, and a few women end up vomiting after taking the pills. A new brand of emergency contraceptive pills called Plan B makes you feel less queasy. Plan B pills aren't available everywhere yet. Another option is to take some non-prescription anti-nausea medicine (called Dramamine II or Bonine) along with the emergency contraceptive pills (ask your doctor about it).

Now these emergency contraception pills are great for preventing a pregnancy when you've had a mistake, but they don't protect you against those sneaky STDs. So even if you have your own stash of pills for that emergency, take yourself to get tested for STDs... then you'll know you're in the clear.

One last word on emergency contraceptive pills: they won't work if you're already pregnant. So if you are one of the few women who gets pregnant even after taking emergency contraceptive pills, you can have a healthy pregnancy if you want to.

What's the Cost Catch?

Generally, emergency contraceptive pills cost anywhere between NOTHING to $55 to $245 for the whole shebang, depending on whether the clinic or doctor's office wants to do a full GYN exam and whether their services are free or low-cost for young people. Lots of public or government clinics do have free or low-cost services for young people--and confidential too. So look in your yellow pages or ask friends or family where to go.

Planned Parenthood operates hundreds of family planning clinics nationwide and their services are often affordable. You can find one of their clinics near you by calling 1-800-322-PLAN. And don't forget, you can always call this handy-dandy number to locate the emergency contraception provider nearest you--including Planned Parenthood or public clinics--at 1-888-NOT-2-LATE or on the web at www.not-2-late.com.