Access to emergency contraception

Objective: To evaluate access to emergency contraception among women seekin g help from clinicians who registered to be listed on the Emergency Contrac eption Hotline (1-888-NOT-2-LATE, ie, 1-888-668-2528) and the Emergency Con traception Website (not-2-late.com). Methods: Two college-educated investigators posing as women who had a condo m break the previous night called 200 providers to seek help. Results: Only 76% of attempts resulted in an appointment or telephone presc ription from a hotline provider within 72 hours, 14% were failures, and 11% resulted in referrals to other providers not listed on the hotline or webs ite. Conclusion: Even under ideal conditions, access to emergency contraception is currently constrained. Although emergency contraception could reduce sig nificantly the incidence of unintended pregnancy and the consequent need fo r abortion, its potential will not be realized unless women have better acc ess to clinicians who can prescribe emergency contraceptive pills. (Obstet Gynecol 2000;95:267-70. (C) 2000 by The American College of Obstetricians a nd Gynecologists.).