Emergency contraception: Dispelling the myths


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

3158.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - Board 8

Abstract #116597

Linda W. Prine, MD, Lee Hinnant, MD, Noa'A. Shimoni, MD, and Andrea Tinio, MD. Department of Family Medicine, Beth Israel Residency in Urban Family Practice, 16 E. 16th Street, New York, NY 10003, 212-924-7744, Lindaprine@earthlink.net

While women's access to reproductive healthcare is eroding, it is important to educate clinicians about proactive prescribing practices for contraception, including emergency contraception (EC). If emergency contraception were readily available, the abortion rate could conceivably fall by 50% (AGI 2002.) Extensive scientific evidence supports the safety and efficacy of emergency contraception. Many medical organizations have advocated for the FDA to give EC over-the-counter status. Yet debate persists in the popular press and thus among medical students and physicians. This poster will address the common misperceptions about “abuse” of emergency contraception, about when it “should” or “should not” be prescribed and review the studies that address these concerns. The poster will have a “myths” column and a matching “facts/evidence” column. A patient education handout will be available for participants as well as information about web-based resources for physicians, educators and patients regarding EC.

Learning Objectives:

Viewers of this poster will learn to

1) Understand the safety profile of emergency contraception and the lack of medical contraindications for its use.
2) List two or more studies that demonstrate that EC use does not affect a woman’s underlying use of her regular contraceptive method
3) Name three ways in which EC can be made more readily available