Postcoital Contraception

Contraception is defined as any method that aims to prevent pregnancy. There are as many as 15 contraceptive methods available for men and women to choose from, providing autonomy for couples to have sexual intercourse at any mutually desired time with diminished risk of pregnancy. Despite this, the rate of unintended pregnancy is still high and relatively unchanged over several years. It was estimated that 45% percent of pregnancies in the United States in 2011 were unintended, and around 40% of those ended in abortion. Among adolescents, studies quote that 75 to 82% of pregnancies were unintended. Inconsistent or improper use of contraception, the use of methods known to have a high failure rate, and failure to use any contraception are the common reasons for unintended pregnancy. Sexual assault survivors are at risk of pregnancy, and studies have quoted a pregnancy rate of 5%. Emergency contraception (EC) or postcoital contraception is the intervention that allows women to avoid unintended pregnancy after unprotected intercourse or inadequately protected sexual intercourse described in these scenarios.  The risk of pregnancy after unprotected intercourse is 5.6% without emergency contraceptive treatment. Women with unintended pregnancies are found to have delayed or inadequate prenatal care, continue smoking and alcohol use, and have an increased rate of premature births and fetal growth restriction. These have serious public health consequences and adverse impacts on the physical and mental health of growing adolescents and young women. Hence, there remains a social justification to reduce unintended pregnancy.