Context: If any new contraceptive technology is to become a viable option f
or decreasing unintended pregnancies, women must be willing to use the meth
od and find it acceptable. However, because emergency contraceptive pills h
ave not been widely used, very little is known about this method's acceptab
ility
Methods: Telephone interviews were conducted with 235 women who had receive
d emergency contraceptive pills through a demonstration project at 13 Kaise
r Permanente medical offices in San Diego to assess women's experience and
satisfaction with the pills.
Results: More than two-thirds of the women (70%) were using a contraceptive
method prior to their need for emergency contraception, and 73% of these u
sers were relying on condoms. When asked about the situation that led to un
protected intercourse, 45% reported that their condom broke or slipped, whi
le 23% said they had had unplanned sex. More than three-quarters of the sam
ple (81%) experienced at least one side effect The overwhelming majority we
re satisfied with emergency contraceptive pills (91%) and would recommend t
hem to friends and family members (97%). Just one-quarter of the sample (28
%) believed that emergency contraceptive pills should be dispensed over the
counter, and an even lower proportion agreed that they should be available
from vending machines (6%).
Conclusions: Because women were overwhelmingly accepting of emergency contr
aceptive pills, found them easy to use and did not intend to substitute the
m for regular contraceptive use, this new method is an important addition t
o the contraceptive options available to women, providing a way to prevent
pregnancy after unprotected intercourse or method failure.