Emergency contraceptive
is a safe, effective method
■The University Health
Center is working to dispel
myths about this form of
birth control
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
While there are numerous
methods of birth control, medical
authorities at the Univeristy are
now supporting a preventative
pill that can be taken after saxual
intercourse. Emergency contra
ception is an effective form of
birth control if used within 72
hours of unprotected sex, said Dr.
Gerald Fleischli, director of the
University Health Center.
Although it has been available
for decades, the use of emergency
contraception — which gained
the approval of the Food and Drug
Administration in 1997 — is just
„ beginning to rise.
“If people only knew about
(emergency contraception)... then
it could cut down on so many un
intended pregnancies,” said
Colleen Jones, head of the Univer
sity’s women’s health clinic.
Medical experts estimate that
the prescribed contraception
could prevent 1.7 million unin
tended pregnancies and 800,000
abortions each year, according to
Planned Parenthood reports.
Emergency contraception is of
ten misrepresented and referred to
as the “morning-after pill,” Jones
said. In truth, the pill can be orally
taken up to 72 hours after sex but
is more effective if initiated within
the first 12 to 24 hours.
“People don’t understand what
it is," said Diane Duke, associate
executive director of Eugene’s
Planned Parenthood. “They think
it’s the RU 486 abortion pill,
which it’s not.”
The RU 486 pill is used primari ly
in Europe as a method of early med
ical abortion. Emergency contracep
tion, on the other hand, prevents a
pregnancy from beginning if used
within the proper time frame.
“Thinking about contraception
before you need it is always best,"
Duke said. “But contraceptive
methods aren’t always 100 per
cent, and (the emergency pill)
works as a great back-up.”
If a woman has sex when she is
ovulating, the chances of becoming
pregnant are 15 percent to 30 per
cent, Jones said. With emergency
contraception, the chance of preg
nancy is reduced to about 2 percent.
“(Emergency contraception) is
very safe and very effective,”
Jones said.
Jones added that even if the 72
hour time frame has passed, emer
gency contraception may still be
used to prevent an unwanted preg
nancy. She encourages students to
see her or another physician imme
diately after unprotected sex or if
other forms of contraception fail.
“We’re here to help. We’re not
here to judge people,” Jones said.
“Our job is to help students make
the best of their college careers and
that means not getting pregnant.”
The Health Center, which has
Emergency
contraception
Could prevent an estimated 1.7
million unintended pregnancies
and 800,000 abortions annually;
Can be taken orally up to 72 hours
after sex;
Is available at the University
Health Center and Eugene
Planned Parenthood.
SOURCE: Planned Parenthood
office hours on the weekend, sells
the emergency pill for $8. At
Planned Parenthood, most stu
dents will be able to get the con
traception for free, Duke said.
“It's not a preferred method of
contraception,” Fleischli said.
“But it’s better than nothing.”
The original form of the emer
gency pill contained strong doses
of estrogen, a hormone found in
birth control pills. Nausea was a
common side effect in more than
50 percent of those treated with the
estrogen pill; vomiting was also
prominent in about 22 percent.
Most pharmacies now issue im
proved pills that reduced the
amount of side effects. The new
method, Plan B, utilizes the hor
mone progestin, which is also
found in birth control pills.
Those who would like more in
formation should contact the
emergency contraception hotline
at 1-888-NOT-2-LATE. Planned
Parenthood also provides servic
es at 1-800-230-PLAN.
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Data taken from 1998 UO Health Center Survey. University Of Oregon