[Deliverance of emergency contraception, in 1988, in family planning and education clinics (FPEC) of Val de Marne].
OBJECTIVE
To facilitate access to emergency contraception (EC). To allow the nurses in the family planning clinics to deliver it during the doctor's absence.


METHODS
For one year, 1998, 1102 women requested EC in the 38 family planning clinics participating in the study. This study evaluated the utilisers and the circumstances under which dispensation occurred.


RESULTS
The users of EC were young, 45% under 18 years and 90% under 25 years. There was a marked difference between the contraception the women declared they used and that which they actually did during their last episode of sexual intercourse. Women requested EC in case of condom breakage or slipping (49%), forgotten pill (8%), or after unprotected intercourse (43%). Nurses personally received 809 requests for EC, and 293 women were received by the family planning doctor. In 77% of the cases, EC was given by the nurses, and for the others after medical opinion. But only 7% had a medical "problem" (contraindications to estrogen-progestin, or cycle disorder). Among the 823 women for whom information was obtained, 22 unwanted pregnancies were observed, 18 of these patients decided to have an abortion. 97.3% efficacity.


CONCLUSIONS
Making EC more easily available in family planning clinics with dispensation by nurses does no harm and may reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancy.
Prudhomme
M
M
Service de protection maternelle et infantile, conseil général du Val de Marne, 13-15, rue Gustave-Eiffel, 94011 Creteil, France.
Perriot
Y
Y
Leroux
M C
MC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003151:Community Health Centers; D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses; D011247:Pregnancy
D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital