Misinformation About Emergency Contraceptives

When I was younger, I remember all types of myths, especially health-related ones, my mother would tell us. No bananas right before bed or we would get a stomach-ache in the middle of the night and would more than likely wake up vomiting. We could not leave the house with even slightly damp hair, even in the summer, or we would risk getting pneumonia (mind you, we grew up in South Texas where going below 60 degrees during winter months was enough reason for everybody to stay home or risk hypothermia). We often hear about misinformation being spread, especially amongst us common non-medical folk; however, what happens when doctors work on misinformation? In a recent study conducted by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, it was learned that some doctors will not consider offering emergency contraception pills to teenagers who come in for emergency visits despite the fact that it could benefit these patients. The reason behind this is that these doctors are working on misinformation as to how these emergency contraception pills (ECP) work.

In order to alleviate this problem, researchers from this study feel that physicians should get better training and education on these types of medication so that there will be fewer unwanted pregnancies. The study had close to 300 participants, all of whom are members of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section of Emergency Medicine. Of the participants, approximately 85% answered that they had prescribed emergency contraception pills before; however, of these doctors, over 80% had made out only a handful of ECP prescriptions per year. Results from the study showed that the more educated the doctor was on ECPs (based on how well they answered questions on ECPs in the study), the more likely they were to actually prescribe them to teenagers. The study, done via internet, showed that 43% of the physicians got half of these ECP-related questions wrong.

The lead author of the study, Monika Goyal, states, “Our study offers valuable new insight into ECP knowledge, practice patterns and prescription barriers for adolescents visiting an emergency department. Increasing prescription options for adolescents is important given the high rate of unintended pregnancies, and is particularly applicable in the emergency department as it often is the gateway to health care access for teens.” Each year in the United States alone, approximately one million teenaged girls becomes pregnant with over 75% of those being unplanned. Emergency contraception pills have proven to be both safe and effective. They are used to help prevent unintended pregnancies when other contraceptive measures like condoms or birth control pills have either a) not been used or b) proven ineffective.

These pills are more effective the sooner they are taken after unprotected sexual intercourse; however, they can still be effective even if taken 5 days later. ECPs are available to adult females without a prescription. Teenagers that are not yet 18, however, need to have a prescription in the United States. The survey indicated that physicians had five main concerns in terms of ECPs. These include lack of time to discuss the use of ECPs during the hospital visit, little if any follow-up with patients after getting their first dose and the feeling that allowing the use of ECPs will cause patients not to use other forms of contraceptives like condoms or birth control pills.