Emergency contraception is not just for the morning after

doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7571.756-a

BMJ 2006;333:756 (7 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7571.756-a

Letter

Emergency contraception is not just for the morning after

The first 100% of the full text of this article appears below.

EDITOR—Glasier is right to highlight that emergency hormonalcontraception is not the solution to reducing unplanned pregnancyand abortion rates.¹

However, if we are serious about reducing the rates of unplannedpregnancy and abortion in women of all ages, we need to ensurewomen can obtain regular contraception easily and in a timelymanner. With the current deficits in the NHS, contraceptiveservices are experiencing a relative disinvestment, forcingmany clinics to close or limit the number of clients they see.

Health professionals and the media should also be responsibleabout how they discuss and report emergency hormonal contraceptionas some women interpret "the morning after pill" quite literally.They may have the opportunity to get emergency contraceptionin 48 hours but don't because they think that it is literallyfor "the morning after."

Richard Ma, general practitioner

Village Practice, London N7 7JJ richard.ma@btinternet.com

Competing interests: None declared.