Community pharmacy supply of emergency contraception

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7315.751

BMJ 2001;323:751 ( 29 September )

Letters

Community pharmacy supply of emergency contraception

Impact of emergency contraception on women's and men's behaviour requires further exploration

Collaboration is vital

Impact of emergency contraception on women's and men's behaviour requires further exploration

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Stammers in his letter expresses anxiety about the supply of emergency hormonal contraception in community pharmaciesand the effect this may have on the spread of sexually transmittedinfections.¹ He says that women in need of emergency hormonalcontraception will be at risk of sexually transmitted infections.But many of these women are using the contraceptive pill and haveforgotten to take it, or are in stable relationships. These womenare not at increased risk of contracting infections, and pharmacysupply will have no impact on their spread. If a woman is attendingfor emergency contraception because of a burst condom or an episodeof unprotected sex, there is a risk of contracting sexually transmittedinfections, but the level of risk is not directly affected bythe wider availability of emergency contraception in the pharmacy.If women are at risk of sexually transmitted infections they donot need . . . [Full text of this article]