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A pilot study by L. Michie, et al. entitled “Pharmacy-based interventions for initiating effective contraception following the use of emergency contraception: a pilot study” was recently published in Contraception. This study, conducted in Scotland, aimed to determine the feasibility of a larger study designed to ascertain if pharmacy-based interventions can increase the uptake of effective contraception…

According to Polish law, EC can be prescribed by any primary care doctor to any woman who needs it. A journalist in Poland, Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska, undertook an experiment to try and obtain EC in public health care centers with the aim of exposing how many doctors prefer to break the law and professional ethics’ rules…

Upon request by the manufacturer of ulipristal acetate emergency contraception (UPA EC) pills, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency will consider a proposed change in the classification for supply of UPA EC pills from “medicinal product subject to medical prescription” to “medicinal product not subject to medical prescription”…

As many of you know, the European Consortium for emergency contrantraception (ECEC) brings together a group of individuals and organizations committed to increasing access to and knowledge of emergency contraception in Europe. ECEC works with the support of an organization that hosts the Consortium, making it possible for us to operate. Since its inception in…

A study by Cristina Trilla, Raquel Senosiain, Joaquim Calaf, and Juan José Espinós entitled “Effect of changes to cost and availability of emergency contraception on users’ profiles in an emergency department in Catalunya” was recently published in The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. The study examined whether free-of-charge EC access within the Public Health System,…

A study by Charles Picavet, Ineke van der Vlugt, and Ciel Wijsen entitled “Intention to use emergency contraceptive pills and the role of knowledge in a Dutch national sample” was recently published in the The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. The study examined whether increased knowledge of ECPs among Dutch women increased their intention…

SEXUAL HEALTH Switzerland has recently published information on its website detailing all the methods of emergency contraception that are available in Switzerland. This resource, entitled “Emergency contraception in 4 steps: How to avoid an unwanted pregnancy in an emergency,” is available in French, German, and Italian and integrates the recent conclusions of the EMA regarding EC.

On Saturday, May 31, 2014, ECEC and ICEC hosted the event, Women’s BMI as a factor in EC failure: An open discussion on the data available to date, at the Lisboa Congress Center in Lisbon, Portugal. The goal of this event was to present the data, facilitate a transparent information-sharing process, and engage in a scientific…

In Switzerland, a paper endorsed by gynecologists, pharmacists, and family planning center health workers has been released, in which these cadres of health care professionals support a common position to the three methods of EC available in Switzerland (levonorgestrel EC pills, ulipristal acetate EC pills, and copper IUDs). The paper has already been sent to…

In the UK, new guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) aims to improve access to high quality contraceptive services, especially for young people up to the age of 25. Recommendations on emergency contraception (EC) include: ensuring that young women (and young men) know where to obtain free EC; informing…

Pro Familia Hungaria’s Affiliation Society of Békés County and the Reproductive Health Working Group of the Regional Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences at Szeged have translated ICEC’s Emergency Contraceptive Pills: Medical and Service Delivery Guidelines into Hungarian. In an effort to fulfill its mission to increase knowledge and access to EC in Europe, ECEC…