Who can use emergency contraception?
Adolescent girls who have attained menarche and have had consensual or nonconsensual unprotected sexual intercourse can be given emergency contraception (Table 2). Adolescent girls can take levonorgestrel unless they are known to be pregnant or have undiagnosed abnormal vaginal bleeding. Adolescent girls can take estrogen-containing emergency contraception if they are not known to be pregnant, and have no history of stroke, estrogen-sensitive tumour or thrombophlebitis, active liver disease or untreated hypertension. When to take emergency contraception Emergency contraception can be used at any time during the menstrual cycle. Earlier, small studies seemed to indicate that timing of the first dose within the first 72 h was not important, but it is now clear that both forms of oral ECPs are more effective if given in the first 24 h, with efficacy decreasing over the next 48 h (Table 1). Despite this, it has been suggested that emergency contraception may be useful for up to five days (
