Review: advance provision of emergency contraception increases its use but does not reduce unplanned pregnancies
Q Does advance provision of emergency contraception (EC) to women reduce pregnancy rates without increasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or reducing use of more effective methods of contraception?
METHODS
Data sources:
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, POPLINE, and International Consortium for Emergency Contraception website (to August 2006); reference lists; and experts.
Study selection and assessment:
English-language randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared provision of EC in advance of need with a control intervention (counselling, which may or may not have included a discussion of EC; information about EC; or provision of EC on request by a clinic or pharmacy) in women of reproductive age. 8 RCTs (n = 6389) met the selection criteria. Quality of individual trials was assessed based on randomisation method, allocation concealment, sample size calculation, and loss to follow-up.
Outcomes:
pregnancy, STD infection, …
