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Emergency Contraception Prevents Unintended Pregnancy
- Emergency contraception (EC) is a method of birth control that has been available, although widely unknown among the general public, for more than 25 years. When taken up to 72 hours after unprotected intercourse, it can reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy 75-89%. It is more effective the sooner after unprotected intercourse it is taken.1
- The most common method of EC is a concentrated dose of regular birth control pills that work to prevent pregnancy by:2
- Delaying or inhibiting ovulation (release of an egg);
- Interfering with sperms' ability to join with an egg, thus preventing fertilization; or
- Inhibiting implantation of a fertilized egg to the uterus.
- EC cannot be used to terminate or harm an existing pregnancy.3 It should not be confused with mifepristone (RU-486), the early option for abortion.
Women Need Easier Access EC
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2006 approved EC for behind-the-counter sales only to women 18 years of age and older. The agency had denied over-the-counter status to EC for 3 years—despite a 23-4 recommendation by its own advisory panel to allow EC to be sold over-the-counter to women of all ages. The decision to approve EC for nonprescription sales still requires women 17 years of age and younger to obtain a prescription before they can purchase EC.4
- Individual pharmacists have refused to fill prescriptions for EC.5 In Texas in 2004, there were 3 publicized cases of women who had pharmacists refuse to fill their prescriptions for EC or other birth control. Other cases have been documented throughout the U.S.
- EC is still only available at pharmacies and health care centers, and many pharmacies do not carry the contraceptive as part of their regular stock. Pharmacies may not be open for business when women need to obtain the contraceptive or may not have it at all.
EC is Safe
- EC is approved as a contraceptive by the FDA and has no known serious side effects. Even women who cannot regularly use oral contraceptives may safely use EC.6
- Studies show that women who use EC do not rely on it as a regular birth control method. EC is available without a prescription in 27 countries.7
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that EC be available over-the-counter in the U.S. and encourages doctors to educate their patients about EC during routine office visits and to obtain the contraceptive beforehand.8
1. ACOG (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) News Release. Medical Groups Set the Record Straight on Emergency Contraception. May 4, 2004. [Online, accessed April 11, 2006, www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr05-04-3.cfm]
2. ACOG Report. A Closer Look at Emergency Contraception. August 2001.
3. ACOG News Release. ACOG to Testify Before FDA in Support of Over-the-Counter Emergency Contraception. December 15, 2003. [Online, accessed April 11, 2006, www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr12-15-03.cfm]
4. The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI). State Policies in Brief: Emergency Contraception. November 2006. [Online, accessed December 1, 2006, www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_EC.pdf]
5. AGI. Emergency Contraception: Steps Being Taken to Improve Access. December 2002. [Online, accessed December 1, 2006, www.guttmacher.org/pubs/tgr/05/5/gr050510.pdf]
6. The Emergency Contraception Website. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions: Safety. 2006. [Online, accessed December 5, 2006, www.ec.princeton.edu/questions/use-ec-anyway.html]
7. AGI. Emergency Contraception: Steps Being Taken to Improve Access. December 2002. [Online, accessed December 1, 2006, www.guttmacher.org/pubs/tgr/05/5/gr050510.pdf
8. ACOG News Release. Statement of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists On the Failure of the FDA To Approve OTC Status for Plan B. May 7, 2004. [Online, accessed April 11, 2006, www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr05-07-04.cfm].
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