_contraception _
By: Anonymous
In a world today where unplanned or unintended pregnancies occur in exuberant
numbers there is a great need for a solution. Emergency contraception is one
that comes to mind. In the United States approximately 3.2 million of the
total six million annual pregnancies are accidental, half of these ending in
abortion (Lindberg, 1997). Eighty percent of teen pregnancies are unintended,
and each year, one in nine young women aged 15-19 become pregnant; more than
half become mothers. Widespread use of emergency contraception could prevent
an estimated 1.7 million unintended pregnancies and 800,000 abortions each
year ("Planned Parenthood," 1998). As of September 1998, the Federal Drug
Administration (FDA), which regulates the introduction of new drugs into the
marketplace, has approved a total of 10 brands of combination-hormone pill
brands suitable for use as emergency contraception pills. For those who are
unable to take the hormone pills there is an option of an intrauterine device.
Raising awareness of emergency contraception and allowing health care workers
to provide emergency contraception pills to patients who may be at need in the
future could dramatically decrease the numbers of unintended pregnancy and all
the consequences that resultEmergency contraceptive pills are ordinary
birth control pills containing the hormone estrogen and progestin. They are
also called postcoital contraception or "the morning after pill." Emergency
contraception Pills (ECP's) can prevent pregnancy after unprotected
intercourse by as much as 75% when the first dose is taken within 72 hours and
the second dose taken 12 hours later (Klima, 1998). ECP's affect the menstrual
cycle. Administering oral contraceptives as emergency contraception at or near
time of ovulation, when pregnancy is most likely to occur, appears to disrupt
the ovarian function, which results in an absent or dysfunctional luteal phase
(Klima, 1998). Another option would be the insertion of a copper intrauterine
contraceptive device within 5 days of unprotected intercourse (Skolnick,
1997). The intrauterine device (IUD) causes an inflammatory response, making
it difficult for implantation to occur on the endometrium (Klima, 1998) For
thousands of years, human beings have been willing to take the risk of
pregnancy while having sexual intercourse to later find themselves searching
for a remedy after the fact. Remedies once believed to aid in achieving
postcoital contraception include herb douches, sneezing, hopping, jumping, and
dancing. These remedies date back to 1500 B. C. (Morgan and Deneris, 1997). In
the 1920's scientists found that estrogenic ovarian extracts could prevent
pregnancy in mammals (Klima, 1998). This lead to a solution for veterinarians
when horses and dogs mated accidentally. In the 1960's clinical use of
postcoital estrogen alone was first documented as a treatment for victims of
sexual assault (Morgan and Deneris, 1997). In the 1970's, a Canadian physician
named Yuzpe began to study the combination of ethinyl estradiol with a
progestin. This became known as the "Yuzpe regimen" and is accepted as the
gold standard in emergency contraception (Morgan and Deneris, 1997) The
Yuzpe method of emergency contraception is often considered the best regimen
because of its lower incidence of side effects as compared to estrogen (Morgan
and Deneris, 1997). Although the side effects of ECP's are not serious, they
may effect whether a client will be able to complete the regimen which could
decrease the effectiveness of the method (Klima, 1998). Nausea is the most
common side effect associated with emergency contraceptive use and occurs in
50-70% of women who use the method. In addition, approximately 25% of women
will experience vomiting (Klima, 1998). Antiemetics may be given to reduce the
nausea and vomiting. Breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, and headaches may
also occur. These side affects usually begin to disappear one or two days
after the second ECP has been taken ("Planned Parenthood," 1998). Women may
also experience a change in the length and timing of their next period. If
ECP's are used frequently, periods may become irregular and unpredictable.
The IUD is often considered the most effective form of emergency
contraception and the only method that provides long-term contraception.
However, because of the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease in women who are
at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STD's) makes it difficult to find
women who can be given an IUD (Morgan and Deneris, 1997). In other words,
victims of sexual assault or promiscuous women should be discouraged from
using an IUD until screening for STD's can be done. Along with STD's,
limitations should be made to women who have a history of ectopic pregnancy,
or severe dysmenorrhea, or menorrhagia. Some side effects for IUD insertion
may include abdominal discomfort, vaginal bleeding or spotting and infection.
Possible side effects of IUD use include heavy menstrual flow, cramping,
infection, infertility, and uterine puncture ("Planned Parenthood," 1998).
Other types of emergency contraception include "mini-pills" and mifepristone.
"Mini-pills" as they are often called are progestin-only pills. They are a
good option to those who can not take estrogen and are not good IUD
candidates. They may be as effective as the Yuzpe regimen (Davies, 1997).
However, the progestin-only method has not been as extensively studied as the
combined pills. The progestin-only pills also need to be taken within 48 hours
of intercourse to be effective. The future of emergency contraception may
depend on the success of mifepristone (RU-486) which is currently being
studied for use in the U.S.. It appears to be better tolerated and more
effective when used as an emergency contraceptive, not as a medical abortion.
The adverse side affects found with combined oral contraceptives occurred less
frequently for the groups given mifepristone than those given the Yuzpe
regimen. (Morgan and Deneris, 1997). This drug works by binding to the
progesterone receptor sites, thus blocking the action of progesterone (Morgan
and Deneris, 1997). As this drug becomes available to the U.S., it may become
the emergency contraceptive of choice It is often a concern to patients
whether emergency contraception is an abortifacient. The answer is no (Morgan
and Deneris, 1997). In fact, emergency contraception prevents pregnancy and
therefore reduces the need for induced abortion. Medical science defines the
beginning of pregnancy as the implantation of a fertilized egg in the lining
of a women's uterus. Implantation takes place five to seven days after
fertilization. Emergency contraceptives work before implantation and not after
a woman is already pregnant (Robles, 1998). So, women should be advised that
fertilization may not be prevented by ECP's that are taken too late. Should
pregnancy occur and it is decided to continue pregnancy, women worry that
congenital anomalies may result after using emergency contraception.
Unfortunately, there have been no studies that specifically evaluated the risk
of congenital anomalies (Klima, 1998). There have been 48 cases of method
failure in women who have chosen to continue their pregnancies. Only one
infant was born with a congenital anomaly: a missing kidney (Klima, 1998).
Thus, there is no reason to suspect that one time emergency use of the pills
would be associated with birth defects if the pill fails to prevent pregnancy
or if they are taken after a woman is already pregnant A study examining the
cost-effectiveness of emergency contraceptive pills, minipills and the
intrauterine device has been done. The comparison was between a single
contraceptive treatment following unprotected intercourse and emergency
contraceptive pills provided in advance. The results showed that in a managed
care setting, a single treatment of emergency contraception after unprotected
intercourse saves $142 with emergency contraceptive pills and $119 with
minipills. The copper intrauterine device is not cost-effective as an
emergency contraceptive alone, but savings quickly result as use continues.
Advance provisions of emergency contraceptive pills to women using barrier
contraceptives, spermicides, withdrawal, or periodic abstinence saves from
$263 to $498 annually. In conclusion, emergency contraception is
cost-effective whether provided when the emergency arises or in advance to be
used as needed. Greater use of emergency contraception could reduce the
considerable medical and social costs of unintended pregnancies (Trussell,
Koenig, and Ellertson, 1997) The most important step in assisting women in
preventing unintended pregnancy is in educating health care providers about
emergency contraceptives so that all patients have access to this method
(Morgan and Deneris, 1997). A survey performed in 1993 indicated the need for
more awareness. Two Hundred Ninety Four reproductive health care providers,
family practitioners, and emergency department physicians were surveyed to
determine how often they provided emergency contraception in the preceding
year. The results suggested that the respondents prescribed emergency
contraception an average of 3.4 times in the preceding year with one third of
those prescribed for victims of sexual assault. Ninety percent of the
respondents never or rarely spoke to their patients about emergency
contraception and only 10% had literature available for patients about the
method (Klima, 1998). Clearly there was a need for health care providers to be
more informative. In 1996 the Reproductive Health Technologies Project and
Bridging the Gap Communications began their own education campaign (Klima,
1998). They spread the word about emergency contraception nationwide by use of
public service announcements and advertisements in magazines and outdoor
venues (Skolnick, 1997). These two organizations also started the Emergency
Contraception Hotline. This hotline informs callers about emergency
contraceptions and provides information about where to access the service in
their area. In addition a website was launched For the past 20 years,
emergency contraception has been available to women and their health care
providers but has been under used for a variety of reasons in part because of
health care givers lacking in knowledge and differences within pharmaceutical
and governmental agencies (Klima, 1997). Now, with more awareness about
emergency contraception, it should be available to any patient who requests
it. There is no reason to deny the method based on when in the cycle the
unprotected intercourse occurred. Planned Parenthood Federation of America
recently changed it's medical standards and guidelines to allow provisions of
emergency contraceptive pills to any patient with a history of unprotected
intercourse in the past 72 hours and a normal last menstrual period regardless
of medical risk factors for oral contraceptives. In addition, they offer their
patients who have had a complete history and physical exam in the last year
the option of receiving emergency contraceptive pills for use in the future if
the need arises (Morgan and Deneris, 1997) It is important for women to take
an active role in controlling their reproductive futures and be able to
prevent the crisis of an unintended pregnancy. Discussing emergency
contraception with patients regularly will allow them to take part in their
health care decisions and diminish stressors that go along with unplanned
pregnancies. With that in mind, it is necessary of health care workers to
provide patients with complete and accurate information concerning emergency
contraception and have access to it. Emergency contraception is known to be
safe and effective and could dramatically reduce the startling high numbers of
unintended pregnancies and abortions occurring annually in the United States.
_Bibliography _
Davies, J. E. (1997). A second chance at preventing pregnancy. Using oral
contraceptives for emergency contraception. Advance for Nurse Practitioners,
5 (11), 43-47. Klima, C. S. (1998). Emergency contraception for midwifery
practice. Journal of Nurse- Midwifery, 45 (3), 182-189. Lindberg, C. E.
(1997). Emergency contraception: the nurse's role in providing postcoital
options. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 26 (2),
145-52. Morgan, K., &Deneris, A. (1997). Emergency contraception: preventing
unintended pregnancy The Nurse Practitioner, 22 (11), 34-48. Robles, A. (No
date). Emergency Contraception [Online]. Available:
http://opr.princeton.edu/ec/ecabt.html [1998, October 22]. Skolnick, A. A.
(1997). Campaign launched to tell physicians, public about emergency
contraception. JAMA, 278 (2), 101-02 Trussell, J., Koenig, J., &Ellertson,
C. (1997). Preventing unintended pregnancy: the cost- effectiveness of three
methods of emergency contraception. American Journal of Public Health, 87,
(6), 932-937). Author Unknown. (1998, September). Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, Inc [Online]. Available:
http://www.pannedplarenthood.org/library/BIRTHCONTROL/EmergContra.htm
[1998, October 22].
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