 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Felicia Stewart, MD, Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, University of California at San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94143-0744, (415) 502-4098, fstewar@itsa.ucsf.edu and James Trussell, PhD, Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton University, Office of Population Research, Wallace Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
Half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended: there were 3.0 million in 1994 alone, the last year for which data are available. One of every two women aged 15-44 in the United States has experienced at least one unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy is a major public health problem that affects not only the individuals directly involved but also society. Emergency contraception, which prevents pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse, has the potential to reduce significantly the incidence of unintended pregnancy and the consequent need for abortion. In this review, we discuss the emergency contraceptives available in the United States including new information about their efficacy, mechanism of action, and time intervals for effective treatment. We also identify the barriers to use of emergency contraception, strategies for improving access to emergency contraception, recent innovations in the role of pharmacists and clinicians in improving access to treatment, and the cost-effectiveness of emergency contraception.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Contraception, Family Planning
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.