'Morning-After' Pill Does Not Increase Unsafe Sex
Allowing emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) – also known as the “morning after” pill – to be sold over the counter does not increase either its use or the incidence of unsafe sex, according to a study by Dr. Cicely Marston and colleagues published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
EHC has been available over the counter in Great Britain since January 2001 to women aged 16 years and over. In contrast, in May 2004 the US FDA blocked an application for non-prescription sales of EHC, according to researchers.
Opponents of EHC in the US and elsewhere have cited concerns that easier availability of EHC would lead to an increase in unsafe sex, particularly among adolescents, and decreased use of traditional methods of contraception. However, the BMJ study results suggest that such concerns are unnecessary.
The BMJ study used national data to examine patterns of use of EHC among British women aged 16-49 years, and to assess the impact of making EHC available without a prescription.
Results showed that the usage-levels of a variety of traditional contraceptives, including oral contraceptives, condoms, IUDs and the “rhythm” method, remained very similar to levels before EHC became available over the counter. Similarly, no significant change occurred in the proportion of women using EHC (8.4% in 2000, 7.9% in 2001, and 7.2% in 2002) or having unprotected sex.
One change did occur: the source from which women obtained EHC. After January 2001, a smaller proportion of women obtained EHC from general practitioners and National Health Service clinics, while a greater proportion purchased EHC over the counter.
The study concluded that making EHC available over the counter seems not to have prompted an increase in it EHC use, an increase in unprotected sex, or a decrease in usage-levels of more traditional contraceptive methods.
“Given the apparent absence of negative consequences, and the fact that many women clearly prefer to buy EHC over the counter, our study supports the case for lifting the ban on over the counter sales of EHC in the United States and other countries,” concluded the researchers.
Source: Over the Counter Emergency Contraception Does Not Encourage Unsafe Sex, British Medical Journal at bmj.com Online First, July 9, 2005.
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