UCSF

Background

When used within 5 days of unprotected sex, emergency contraception (EC) can reduce the risk of pregnancy. Our objective was to explore how often women seeking clinic-based pregnancy testing who do not desire pregnancy might benefit from EC and examine variables associated with patients asking for EC when use is indicated.

Study design

Women seeking pregnancy testing or EC from an inner-city Title-X-funded family planning clinic between January 2011 and June 2012 were invited to complete surveys.

Results

Twenty-seven percent (n=79) of respondents were seeking EC, and 73% (n=215) were seeking pregnancy testing. Of those seeking pregnancy testing, 39% might have benefited from same-day use of EC pills. Women who had never used EC and who had more than one episode of unprotected sex within the past month were less likely to request EC when use was indicated, while single women were more likely to request EC.

Conclusions

Counseling regarding EC options is particularly important for women seeking same-day pregnancy testing who do not desire pregnancy.