Emergency contraception (EC) is available in Denmark: LNG EC, UPA EC, and the use of IUD for EC are included in national policies for family planning, and local pharmacies and family planning clinics distribute EC without a prescription, but it is not reimbursed or covered by social security.
- Sexual & reproductive health background information
- Accessibility & prescription status
- Cost
- Guidelines & common practices
- EC use
Sexual & reproductive health background information
| Female population aged 15-49 | Mean age at first sexual intercourse | Mean age at birth of first child | Total fertility rate | % use of modern contraceptive methods | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 1,252,0001 | 16.12 | 29.13 | 1.764 | 72.0%5 |
| Year | 2015 | 2005 | 2012 | 2011 | 1988 |
Accessibility & prescription status
In Denmark, LNG EC is available over the counter from pharmacies and family planning clinics, which means that EC can be purchased without a prescription, the drug is on the shelves, and a woman can just take it to the check-out counter. As of May 2015, UPA EC is available behind the counter from pharmacies, which means that EC is available from pharmacies without a prescription but is not on the pharmacy shelves and needs to be requested from the pharmacist in order to purchase.
Cost
| Type of EC | Approximate Cost | Brand(s) Available |
|---|---|---|
| LNG | € 12,45 | Levonelle 1500, NorLevo, Postinor, Frivelle |
| UPA | € 23,36 | ellaOne |
The cost of EC is not reimbursed or covered by social security in Denmark.
Guidelines & common practices
Nødprævention, published in 2009, are Denmark’s guidelines exclusively devoted to EC and include recommendations on LNG and UPA EC pills as well as on the use of IUD for EC. In 2015, the Family Planning Association Sex & Samfund issued new information in response to the change in UPA EC’s status.
Health care providers sometimes provide general information about EC during regular consultations and sometimes prescribe EC in advance of need. Health care providers do not require a pregnancy test or a pelvic exam before prescribing EC.
EC use
| Ever use of EC | EC use in the last 12 months | Used EC more than once (among EC users) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 20%6/ 32%7 | 13%7 | 44%7 |
| Year | 2010 / 2012 | 2012 | 2012 |
For further information on EC use, eSundhe (the Danish Health and Data Protection Agency’s data bank) provides data on pharmacies’ sales of medicines, including emergency contraception pills (UPA and LNG): https://www.esundhed.dk/Emner/Laegemidler/Apotekernes-salg-af-laegemidler
Sources
1 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision. New York, 2013.
2 Durex Global Sex Survey Results 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2013, from http://www.durex.com/en-jp/sexualwellbeingsurvey/documents/gss2005result.pdf.
3 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division Database. Mean Age of Women at Birth of First Child by Country and Year. Updated 23 November 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2015, from http://w3.unece.org/pxweb/dialog/varval.asp?ma=04_GEFHAge1stChild_r&path=../database/STAT/30-GE/02-Families_households/&lang=1&ti=Mean+age+of+women+at+birth+of+first+child.
4 European health for all database (HFA-DB), World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Total fertility rate. Retrieved 18 June 2013, from http://data.euro.who.int/hfadb/.
5 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Contraceptive Use 2012. New York, 2012.
6 Undersøgelse om uønskede graviditeter og valg af abort blandt kvinder under 25 år. Sundhedsstyrelsen. 2010. Accessed 9 July 2013, from http://www.sst.dk/publ/Publ2010/CFF/Graviditet/UsUoenskOgAbort.pdf.
7 Guleria, S., Munk, C., Elfström, K., Hansen, B., Sundström, K., & Liaw, K. et al. (2020). Emergency contraceptive pill use among women in Denmark, Norway and Sweden: Population‐based survey. Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 99(9), 1214-1221. doi: 10.1111/aogs.13849. Retrived 23 November 2021, from https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aogs.13849
Last update: December 2022
Previous updates: November 2021, June 2015
