Impact on contraceptive practice of making emergency hormonal contraception available over the counter in Great Britain: repeated cross sectional surveys.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the impact on contraceptive practice of making emergency hormonal contraception available over the counter.


METHODS
Analysis of data on contraceptive practice for women aged 16-49 years in the period 2000-2 from the Omnibus Survey, a multipurpose survey in which around 7600 adults living in private households are interviewed each year.


METHODS
Private households in Great Britain.


METHODS
Use of different types of contraception and rates of unprotected sex.


RESULTS
After emergency hormonal contraception was made available over the counter, levels of use of different types of contraception by women aged 16-49 remained similar. No significant change occurred in the proportion of women using emergency hormonal contraception (8.4% in 2000, 7.9% in 2001, 7.2% in 2002) or having unprotected sex. A change did, however, occur in where women obtained emergency hormonal contraception; a smaller proportion of women obtained emergency hormonal contraception from physicians and a greater proportion bought it over the counter. No significant change occurred in the proportion of women using more reliable methods of contraception, such as the oral contraceptive pill, or in the proportion of women using emergency hormonal contraception more than once during a year.


CONCLUSIONS
Making emergency hormonal contraception available over the counter does not seem to have led to an increase in its use, to an increase in unprotected sex, or to a decrease in the use of more reliable methods of contraception.
Marston
Cicely
C
Department of Primary Care and Social Medicine, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London W6 8RP. c.marston@imperial.ac.uk
Meltzer
Howard
H
Majeed
Azeem
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003282:Contraceptives, Postcoital, Hormonal / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006113:United Kingdom; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*
D003282:Contraceptives, Postcoital, Hormonal; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs