This page contains a selection of resources developed by ECEC as well as partner organizations that are relevant to EC access and availability in the European region. If you would like to share EC-related publications from your country, please email us.

Resources and publications:

Counseling tools 

  • Emergency contraception methods: The EC wheel. First edition, published in May 2016 by the European Consortium for emergency contraception, with support from the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health. Available in English, and since August 2017, in French. Contact us to receive the printable file.  Click here to use the online English EC wheel, and here for the French.
  • Contraceptive Delivery Tool for Humanitarian Settings. Published in 2018 by the World Health Organization. Available in English here and here.
  • Medical Eligibility Criteria Wheel for contraceptive use. Published in 2015 by the World Health Organization. See section “EC”. Available in English here. 

Guides and technical documents

  • !New! Implementation of self-care interventions for health and well-being: guidance for health systems. Published by WHO/HRP, in July 2024. Avaialble here and here.  
  • WHO recommendations on self-care interventions: Making over-the-counter emergency contraceptive pills available without a prescription |Technical document. Published by WHO in April 2024. Available in English here.
  • !New! Dispensing emergency contraceptive pills according to the evidence and human rights: the role of pharmacists. A consensus statement. Published in 2023 by FIGO, IPPF, ESC and ECEC. Endorsed by the International Federation of Pharmacists (FIP) in February 2024. Available in English.
  • Family Planning – A Global Handbook for Providers, 2022 edition, published by WHO in November 2022. CHAPTER 3 – Emergency Contraceptive Pills. Available in English.
  • CEU Statement: Response to new evidence relating to dose of levonorgestrel oral emergency contraception for individuals with higher body mass index (BMI), published by The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) in August 2022. Available in English.
  • WHO guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being, 2022 revision, published by WHO in June 2022. Available in English here.  Chapter
    3.2.3 Existing recommendations on over-the-counter availability of emergency contraception.
  • EC for transgender and nonbinary patients, published by the American Society for Emergency Contraception in Januray 2021. Available in English here.
  • Medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use – 5th edition, published in July 2015 by the World Health Organisation. Available in English, French and Spanish.
  • Selected practice recommendations for contraceptive use – 3rd edition, published in December 2016 by the World Health Organisation in English, and in Spanish in 2018.
  • Emergency contraception, created by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and updated on ongoing basis. This fact sheet provides an overview of WHO recommendations for emergency contraception. Available in English, French, Russian and Spanish.
  • Emergency Contraception. Guideline published by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare of the United Kingdom, in March 2017, and amended July 2023. Available in English. This supersedes the 2011 edition.
  • Emergency Contraceptive Pills: Medical and Service Delivery Guidance, 4th edition. Published in 2018 by the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception (ICEC) and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). Available in English, French (since June 2020) and in Japanese since March 2022. This supersedes the 3rd edition, created in 2012 and  available in English, Russian, Hungarian and French.
  • Clinical Summary: Emergency Contraceptive Pills, published in 2018  by the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception, and available in English and Spanish. It supersedes the  2013 edition available in English and French.
  • Overweight, Obesity & Contraception. Guideline published by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare of the United Kingdom, in April 2019 2017. Available in English.
  • Emergency contraception: A guideline for service provision in Europe, 2nd  edition, published by ECEC in May 2016. Available in English. This supersedes the 1st edition, published in 2013 and available in English, Italian, Romanian and Spanish.
  • PowerPoint Presentation introducing Emergency contraception: A guideline for service provision in Europe, created by ECEC in 2014. Available in English.

Fact sheets

  • !New! Emergency contraception pills sales in low- and middle-income countries: Data from social marketing programs, published in August 2023 by ECEC in cooperation with DKT International. Available in English.
  • Emergency Contraception Trends from the Contraceptive Security Indicators Survey, published in March 2023 by USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM). Available in English.
  • An update on access to emergency contraception in Europe, published in February 2022 by ECEC. Available in English.
  • Access to emergency contraception through community pharmacies in Europe: Findings from a participatory survey.  Published in January 2021 by European Youth Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YouAct) and ECEC. Available in English.
  • Access to emergency contraception in some countries of the Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, published in March 2017 by the ECEC. Available in English.
  • Emergency contraception: Fact sheet, created by the World Health Organization and updated regularly. Available in English, French, Russian and Spanish, among other languages.
  • An update on access to emergency contraception in European Union countries, published in April 2016 by ECEC. Available in English.
  • Access to emergency contraception in the European Union countries, created by ECEC in October 2014. Available in English.
  • MECHANISM OF ACTION OF LEVONORGESTREL EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION PILLS, published by the American Society for Emergency Contraception, published in June 2022 and updated in January 2023. Available in English and Spanish.
  • Efficacy of emergency contraception and body weight: Current understanding and recommendations, updated by the American Society for Emergency Contraception, in June 2022 Available in English.
  • Efficacy of emergency contraception and body weight: Current understanding and recommendations, created by the American Society for Emergency Contraception, and adapted by ECEC in November 2015. Available in English.
  • Repeated Use of Emergency Contraceptive Pills: The Facts, created by the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception in October 2015. Available in English and French.
  • Emergency contraception guidelines in the European Union countries, created by in 2014. Available in English.
  • Over-the-Counter Access to Emergency Contraceptive Pills, created by the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception, the American Society for Emergency Contraception and ECEC. Available in English, German and Italian.
  • Fact sheet on the safety of Levonorgestrel-alone emergency contraceptive pills (LNG ECPs), created in 2010 by the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception, the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
    Available in English, French and Spanish.
  • Statement on emergency contraception, created by the International Medical Advisory Panel (IMAP) of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in 2018, and available in English.  
  • Mechanism of Action: How do levonorgestrel-only emergency contraceptive pills (LNG ECPs) prevent pregnancy? Created by the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception and endorsed by the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology
    Available in English, Spanish, French and German.
  • Emergency contraception and Medical Abortion: What’s the Difference? Created by the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception
    Available in English, Spanish and French.
  • The Intrauterine Device (IUD) for emergency contraception, created by the International Consortium for emergency contraception in 2012 and available in English.
  • It’s Not Too Late to Prevent Pregnancy, created by PATH
    Available in English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Arabic.

Training resources

Issue papers for programs and advocates

  • REPORT on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health (2020/2215(INI)). European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. Rapporteur: Predrag Fred Matić. Available in English.
  • DRAFT REPORT on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the European Union, in the frame of women’s health (2020/2215(INI)). Published by the European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in October 2020. Available in English.
  • Position Paper on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Published by the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health (ESC) in September 2019. Available in English.
  • Action Plan for Sexual and Reproductive Health: Towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Europe – leaving no one behind. Adopted by the 66th session of the World Health Organization Committee for Europe in September 2016. Hungary, Poland and Turkey disassociated themselves from the Action plan. Available in English and Russian.
  • Limited Access: Europe’s Contraception Deficit –  A White Paper, published by the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF) in 2018. Available in English.
  • Experiencing backlash in women’s rights and gender equality in the European Union, European Parliament Resolution, February 2019. Available in English.
  • Women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in Europe, issue paper published by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in December 2017. Available in English.
  • Ensuring human rights in the provision of contraceptive information and services: Guidance and recommendations, created by WHO in 2014. Available in English
  • Emergency Contraception: Questions and Answers for Decision-Makers, created by the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception. Available in English, Spanish and French.
  • Access to Contraceptives in the European Union: Human Rights, Barriers and Good Practices, published in 2012 by the Center for Reproductive Rights. Available in English
  • Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Data on EC Knowledge and Use: Regional Compilations, created in 2012 by the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception. Available here.

Emergency contraception laws and policies

  • Breaking Ground: Treaty Monitoring Bodies on Reproductive Rights, 3rd edition, created by the Center for Reproductive Rights in 2018 and available in English.  The 2nd edition was published in 2015 and is also available in English.

Additional family planning and reproductive health resources

  • The State of World Population, published annually by the United Nations Population Fund, in multiple languages. See the 2022 edition.