Emergency contraception: the nurse's role in providing postcoital options.

Emergency contraception refers to pregnancy prevention methods initiated after unprotected sexual intercourse. Research has shown that 75% of the 3.5 million unintended pregnancies that occur in the United States every year could be prevented through use of emergency contraception. Hormonal methods and postcoital insertion of intrauterine devices have been shown to be safe and effective. Nurses play an essential role in the distribution of emergency contraception as patient educators, advocates, and support persons.