PLAN B

It was about a year ago that the feds put the kibosh on over-the-counter emergency contraceptive for women of all ages, despite solid science from the FDA that proved the morning-after pill was 100% safe and effective regardless of age. Instead, the Obama administration instituted a plan that would require girls under 17 to get a prescription for Plan B, while those 17 and older would have prescription-free access at their local pharmacy. Now, it looks like the American Academy of Pediatrics is looking to shake things up, too, and possibly tear down some of those barriers created last year.

Thirteen New York City high schools are making Plan B available to students without parental notification. The only thing that upsets me about this news is that it doesn't apply to my middle schooler.

A rape victim from Tampa, Fla. who was denied emergency contraception by a jail guard can proceed with a lawsuit against the Hillsborough County Sheriff and a jail guard, a federal judge ruled this week.

The FDA redefines the morning-after pill. Should you give your first love a second chance? Our expert Charles Orlando talks about online dating on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show. What if you knew your friend's husband was cheating? The upside of dating several guys at once. Do you fantasize about your husband's friends?

Do you believe in love at first sight? How about love at first pregnancy scare?

The government just overruled the FDA's decision to allow Plan B (the pill which, if taken 72 hours after sex can very significantly reduce the risk of pregnancy) to be sold on drugstores shelves to anyone of age.

The creepiest song lyrics ever. Having babies too late may be even less safe than we thought. Do not start having sex with your neighbor if you want a relationship. Is your guy totally into someone else? Plan B may soon be available over-the-counter. Good-looking friends make you look... better. Hugs may not be as innocent as you think. France may ban prostitution.

xoJane's "Health Editor," a term we're going to use very loosely, wrote a piece about why she prefers the Plan B method of birth control to all others. Why? Well, in her words, the Pill will make her "fat," make her "spot," and according to her, will not prevent her from getting preggers because she's in that teeny-tiny minority who got knocked up on it.

Since it became available over-the-counter, use of emergency contraceptives has nearly doubled in the United States, according to a new study in the journal Fertility and Sterility. Although now nearly 10 percent of women aged 15 to 44 have taken emergency contraception, experts believe this number is still too low.

Generally, an unplanned pregnancy is the last thing on your mind when a one-night stand is in the offing. That's why pharmaceutical companies have given us Plan B. But what happens when a person isn't thinking straight the morning after? The FDA approval is close for a drug called Ulipristal that will provide birth control up to 5 days after conception may have occurred.

The sexting epidemic may be overblown. Hugging is a huge problem in schools. Dating is complicated. David Wain's dating advice. How young is too young to date? What to do when addicted to love, sex and bad boys. Who pays for Plan B? The cure for Vaginosis. Three decades: zero orgasms. A stag night planning firm. When love leads to treason. And is dating a male model all bad?

Plan B—known as the "morning after pill"—is to be taken 72-hours after unprotected sex in hopes of warding off an unwanted pregnancy. Regardless of the fact scientific evidence proved the pill perfectly safe for 17-year-olds, before yesterday's ruling the drug was only available behind pharmacy counters to women 18 and up. Judge Edward R. Korman of the federal district court in New York didn't understand why this was, and even went so far as to speculate that members of the FDA were "bowing" to the conservative leanings of the Bush administration and knowingly appointed anti-abortion members to the review panel. He accused the FDA of dragging their feet and avoiding lifting restrictions even after their team of scientists gave the pill the thumbs up for use in minors.

2006 was a year of unprotected sex for me. No, not every time, but I started off the year with a fling with a slightly older man I was besotted with, who didn’t speak a word about condoms, and, in response, I didn’t either. I wanted to trust that he had some magical knowledge that somehow I was missing, that maybe the world had overturned itself and they were no longer necessary. I was wrong, and after a pregnancy panic as I searched for Plan B—this was right before it was so readily available—I escaped unscathed. Then later that year I met a guy I fell absolutely head over heels with, sure that we were destined to be together.

According to a recent article, it may be human nature to keep romantic backup plans. It can happen in 1 of 2 ways; you can go into a relationship with someone and just hope your "10" comes along later or you can actually keep a backup in case your Plan A falls through. To paraphrase Jennifer Aniston from Office Space, "Uh, how is this not cheating?"