Counseling about and Use of Emergency Contraception in the United States: Results from the National Survey of Family Growth

Objectives: The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of counseling about and use of EC and to identify characteristics associated with EC use among reproductive aged women in the US.

Methods: We analyzed data collected from 7643 US women aged 15-44 by the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) using multivariable models that accounted for multistage probability sampling.

Results: In 2001, 3.8% of all respondents reported that their clinician discussed EC and 4.2% reported ever having used EC. Few women (7%) who received a pelvic exam in the last year reported that their doctor had discussed EC. In multivariable analyses, women were more likely to receive counseling about EC if they were younger, Hispanic, Black, and ever married. Women who had been counseled about EC in the last 12 months were significantly more likely to have ever used EC.

Conclusions: Few clinicians routinely counsel women about EC despite US women's increased likelihood of using EC if they discussed it with a clinician. Given women's low frequency of EC use, ongoing efforts are needed to raise awareness and knowledge of EC among clinicians and women.

Implications for public health: EC has the potential to significantly decrease unintended pregnancies and abortions. Clinicians play a pivotal role in ensuring that women have information and access to EC. As the first to describe women's receipt of EC counseling on a national level, this study should encourage clinicians to increase EC discussion with all reproductive aged women.