title: Failure of the emergency contraceptive levonorgestrel and the risk of adverse effects in pregnancy and on fetal development: an observational cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine pregnancy and neonatal outcome after the failure of levonorgestrel as an emergency contraceptive.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective observational cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Telephone consultations concerning reproductive risk factors conducted by Telefono Rosso-Teratology Information Service, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women exposed to levonorgestrel (36 cases) compared with a control group (80 cases).
  
  
  METHODS
  Teratological counseling.
  
  
  METHODS
  The rate of congenital anomalies, the prepartum or peripartum complications, and the pregnancy outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five exposed newborns with length and weight identical to that of the control group were shown to be without increased risk of congenital malformation. No statistical differences were observed in terms of spontaneous or legal abortion and pregnancy and neonatal complications, and there was no ectopic pregnancy in either group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the sample size was small, in our experience, the failure of levonorgestrel as an emergency contraceptive was not associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations, prepartum or peripartum complications, or an adverse pregnancy outcome.
authors.affiliation: Telefono Rosso, Teratology Information Service, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. marcodesantis@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Santis
authors.forename: Anna Franca
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Cavaliere
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Straface
authors.forename: Brigida
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carducci
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caruso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003280:Contraceptives, Oral, Synthetic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016912:Levonorgestrel / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D003280:Contraceptives, Oral, Synthetic; D016912:Levonorgestrel