Emergency contraception: the user profile.

UNLABELLED: Emergency contraception (EC) has recently become available, accepted and widely used in Sweden but little is known about the characteristics and background factors of women requesting EC.

METHODS

During a four-month period, consecutive women (n = 762) visiting family planning clinics to request emergency contraception filled out a questionnaire about their current need for EC.

RESULTS

The user of emergency contraception was typically a nulligravid young woman (83%) but 13% had a previous history of at least one induced abortion and 41% had given birth in the past. One out of four had used EC before, and of these 20% more than once. Condom breakage was the major reason for the current need for EC but as many as 37% had not discussed the need for contraception prior to intercourse. Friends were the most important source of knowledge about EC.

CONCLUSION

Women requesting emergency contraception could be anyone and emergency contraception is used to compensate for contraceptive failure in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies.