Unplanned pregnancies are a reality for millions of women each year.

But now, women have an alternative to going through with their pregnancies or having abortions.

The morning-after pill, which can prevent pregnancy after intercourse has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

According to Rebecca Wills, chief physician at the Student Health Services, the morning-after pill is another name for emergency contraception, which involves taking certain doses of specific birth control pills.

Many students are unaware of the morning-after pill, but some Cal State Long Beach students have requested it at the Health Services.

"We have had occasions when young ladies requested information on the pill or requested to have it," Wills said. "But this is not a birth control method Ñ it's an emergency measure."

The Health Services refers students to other institutions for the morning-after pill.

However, Wills said that prescribing emergency contraception is a decision up to the clinician's discretion Ñ some may prescribe it, others may not.

According to Wills, emergency contraceptive pills contain the synthetic hormones estrogen and progesterone in certain dosages.

She said that one dose must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex and another dose 12 hours after the first dose.

By altering the normal hormonal cycle, the pill prevents ovulation, fertilization or implantation of a fertilized egg.

The morning-after pill is offered at the health center only under extreme circumstances and whether or not a prescription is issued is determined by the doctor.

"If you're on birth control pills or if you use some kind of contraception, then you are probably protected," Wills said. "But if for some reason or another you are using some kind of protection, like a condom, and it ruptures, there is a chance you might be pregnant. So you want to have a backup method."

"An option is emergency contraception," Wills said. "It might be prescribed in those instances or in cases of rape."

The FDA said in February that certain doses of some birth control pills can be used safely and effectively as a morning-after pill.

Doctors have known for many years that birth control pills can be used as emergency contraception, but the FDA had not approved them before for this usage, Wills said.

According to Mary Pendergast, deputy commissioner of the FDA, nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, headaches and dizziness are some of the side effects of the morning-after pill.

She said that about 50 percent of women who take the morning-after pill experience nausea and about 20 percent vomit.

Pendergast added that the morning-after pill is about 75 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, but does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

The morning-after pill is not like the publicized French abortion pill, RU-486, which ends pregnancy by expelling an already-growing embryo from the uterus, doctors said.

The RU-486 is expected to get FDA's approval later this year. If approved, however, the Health Services will not prescribe it.

"We wouldn't be offering that because we don't do abortions," Wills said.