Emergency Contraception
Emergency Contraception
Emergency contraception pills (ECPs) are a way of reducing the risk of pregnancy after unprotected intercourse. Often referred to in the U.S. as “the morning after pill,” EC is post-coital hormonal contraception for use when another contraceptive method fails or no contraception was used. EC involves taking a certain dosage of regular birth control pills within 120 hours of unprotected intercourse. ECPs work by preventing pregnancy. If a woman is already pregnant when she takes EC, the pregnancy will not be disrupted.
ECPs socially marketed by PSI are Progestin-only pills containing levonorgestrel, which have been shown to be more effective and have fewer side effects than combined pills, which contain both progestin and an estrogen. Like other contraceptives, EC offers another way to prevent unwanted pregnancies. However, because it is not as reliable as other contraceptive methods (efficacy rates of only 75% compared with 99% for OCs), it is not recommended for use as a regular method.
Worldwide there is a lack of awareness among both service providers and consumers of pregnancy prevention options available to women once unprotected intercourse has occurred. PSI’s objective in social marketing EC is to decrease the incidence of unintended pregnancies by making EC an option available to women who have had unprotected intercourse and by creating an opportunity for women to initiate a regular, more reliable, method of contraception. PSI meets its objective by designing EC social marketing programs that:
- Create awareness of EC through advertising and educational efforts.
- Build service provider knowledge of EC and how to appropriately administer it to their clients through training.
- Make the product readily available through sales and distribution efforts.
- Make the product affordable.
- Make the product acceptable through public education and advocacy.
- PSI is currently implementing EC programs in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Paraguay, Myanmar, Zimbabwe, and Pakistan.
For more information on ECPs and other emergency contraceptive options, visit http://www.cecinfo.org/index.php
Archived in
Health Areas: Reproductive Health
