News

December 5, 2017.  The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, issued a set of recommendations addressed to States on how to better ensure women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Europe. Read the full report here. The recommendations underscore that women’s sexual & reproductive rights are human rights, and that States have…

In early 2017, the Groupe interdisciplinaire d’expert·e·s en contraception d’urgence (IENK) and the University of Basel developed an audiovisual four module training aimed at strengthening EC counselling in Swiss pharmacies. The four videos are available in French in this You Tube channel and also from IENK website, along with other useful resources in French, German and Italian.

September 2017.  The delivery of EC by pharmacists is an important contribution to the promotion of sexual health and allows easier access to the method. When pharmacists have the necessary knowledge, the majority of emergency contraception issues can be resolved in the pharmacy, enabling the woman to take the most suitable EC method immediately on site. In some situations,…

July 2017. The British health retailer Superdrug (the second largest chain in the United Kingdom) announced on June 27th the sell of a generic levonorgestrel (LNG) emergency contraceptive pill, at less than half the price of the currently branded EC pills. Ezinelle will be sold at around 15,30 €, while currently the rest of LNG brands…

June 2017.  On June 23rd President Andrzej Duda finally signed the bill proposed by the ruling party Law and Justice (PiS), which will change the status of the only EC pill currently available without prescription in Poland  (EC with ulipristal acetate, sold under the brand name ellaOne). The so called “Act of 25th May 2017…

June  2017. A new survey and a web discussion have provided new data  about whether and how Italian women’s awareness of and access to EC has changed following the availability of UPA EC without a prescription in 2015. According to this data, 90% of the women consulted consider EC useful and 91% think it is effective; but on…

9 June  2017.  Two studies about EC use in  Barcelona, were recently released. The Catalan health authorities looked at EC users’ profiles and other characteristics in sentinel pharmacies of the province of Barcelona, with the aim of improving the contraception program. This study found that the average age of women buying EC was 28 years old, and 56% of customers…

The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) of the United Kingdom recently released a new guideline on emergency contraception. This new guideline, which includes recommendations on LNG and UPA EC pills as well as on the use of IUD for EC, has been developed by the FSRH and brings together evidence and expert opinion…

May 29 2017. Since mid 2015, and upon recommendation from the European Medicines Agency, EC pills with ulipristal acetate can be bought without prescription from pharmacies in Poland and everywhere else in the European Union except for Hungary. On May 25th, however, Members of Parliament in Poland voted in favor of a new bill which proposes,…

Together for Girls, along with partners PAHO, WHO, UN Women, Women Deliver, Save the Children USA, Care International, Child Helpline International, Jhpiego, SafeTrek, BD, and Cummins & Partners developed new Every Hour Matters campaign resources. The Every Hour Matters campaign aims to increase awareness about the critical importance of quickly accessing post-rape care. The resources are available…

A study published in The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care assessed awareness and knowledge of EC among adolescents in Berlin, Germany. The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey among ninth graders in a convenience sample of 13 Berlin schools in which they assessed perceived and actual knowledge on the effectiveness, timeframe, and availability of…

The ASTRA Network has informed us that in mid-February 2017, the Polish Government announced that it accepted a project proposing to restrict access to the only ECP available over the counter (UPA ECP). This project is to be discussed in plenary and voted upon in the next session of the Sejm, possibly as early as March….