Emergency Contraception

Emergency contraception is a safe and effective method of preventing pregnancy when regular contraception has failed or if no contraception was used. It is available from StayWell Pharmacies, without prescription subject to meeting certain criteria.

If you think you may need emergency contraception, it is advised to attend your Pharmacy promptly as emergency contraception can be effective up to 120 hours after unprotected sex but is more effective the sooner you use it.

The service is available for free for medical card holders and women aged 17-30. If you are aged 17-30 you will be required to have your PPS number and proof of date of birth. A fee applies to anyone who does not have a medical card or is not in the 17-30 age cohort. To find out more, speak to one of our StayWell Pharmacists.

Emergency contraception does not protect against sexually transmitted infections. To find out more information on Emergency Contraception and STIs, talk to one of our StayWell Pharmacists, or see the FAQs.

Online Form

You can now fill in our 'Online Emergency Contraception Form' in advance by selecting the “Order Now” button. You must call your selected StayWell Pharmacy in person to pick it up and a brief consultation with a StayWell Pharmacist is still necessary. Patients are asked to provide a telephone contact number during the online process, this means that should the StayWell Pharmacist wish to query anything, it is done prior to your arrival, making the consultation process much faster and more convenient.

Please note the "Online" service is only available in selected StayWell Pharmacies and must be within the StayWell Pharmacy opening hours. To see the opening hours for your closest StayWell Pharmacy please click here.

Or alternatively:

Call into your StayWell Pharmacy

For pharmacies not offering the 'Online Emergency Contraception Form' or if you would prefer not to fill the form in advance, you can always call into your StayWell Pharmacy to avail of this service. Our trained StayWell Pharmacist will then take you through some questions in our private consultation room to ascertain if the emergency contraceptive is suitable for you. The whole process shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes and it doesn't require an appointment.