PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding emergency contraception (EC) in university men and women aged 18-21. DATA SOURCES Data sources included responses to a 25-item questionnaire and an 8-item demographic survey completed anonymously at a public site on campus. Ninety-seven university students participated in the study. Participants wer...

OBJECTIVES Most women who use emergency contraception (EC) do so because of unprotected sexual intercourse or condom failure and so remain at risk of pregnancy unless they commence an effective method of contraception. In Great Britain, increasingly women now choose to obtain EC from a pharmacy; however, pharmacists do not currently provide effective ongoing contraception. We sought to determin...

Kaiser Permanente (KP) has been on the forefront of educating providers and members about emergency contraception (EC) since 1996, even before a dedicated product was available. EC is up to 89% effective and is exceedingly safe for all women at risk for an unintended pregnancy. Despite awareness efforts, EC has remained underutilized. Recognizing this fact, recommendations were made by a Califo...

PURPOSE This study was performed in the context of a sexual health promotion project in a Nova Scotia community. Community members wanted information about adolescent females' knowledge and use of emergency contraception (EC). The study was done to meet this need. METHODS Female high school students aged 14 to 19 were administered a self-completion survey asking about their knowledge of EC, t...

BACKGROUND Progestin-only methods are among the contraceptive options available for breastfeeding women, however the doses of progestin used in emergency contraception (EC) have not been evaluated in nursing mothers. We therefore investigated the pharmacokinetics of 1.5 mg levonorgestrel (LNG) in lactating women. METHODS Twelve healthy exclusively breastfeeding volunteers received 1.5 mg LNG....

PURPOSE To estimate the efficacy and safety of 5 mg and 10 mg mifepristone for emergency contraception up to 144 hours after unprotected coitus. METHODS This double-blind randomized clinical trial was carried out at Eusebio Hernandez Hospital (Havana, Cuba). A total of 2,418 women who requested emergency contraception after unprotected coitus received either 5 mg or 10 mg mifepristone. The va...

Methods of contraception are being designed to become increasingly reliable however, patients still get pregnant after a contraceptive fails. Probably the most dramatic of these situations is when a patient has an intrauterine device and still manages to conceive. This is precisely what happened in this case. The patient attended the emergency room to confirm her pregnancy and on transabdominal...

OBJECTIVE To present the legal and professional issues related to nurse administration of drugs according to protocols, and describe the implementation and initial audit findings of such a scheme. SETTING Accident and emergency (A&E) department of a district general hospital. METHODS Analysis of legal and professional opinion. Protocols acceptable to the medical, nursing, and pharmacy profe...

With improvements in the accessibility and range of contraceptive options available to female adolescents and young adult women, there have been dramatic declines in teen pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates in some parts of the world. However, many countries, especially developing countries, continue to struggle with high rates of unintended pregnancy. Although this has many causes, timely use...

BACKGROUND Adolescents need to be aware that there is a method of preventing pregnancy even after an unprotected intercourse. Limited information is available on the awareness of young adolescents and the effects of selling emergency contraception (EC) over-the-counter, and the findings are controversial. The aims of this study were to investigate awareness and use of EC among Finnish girls age...