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LNG and UPA remain suitable EC options for all, EMA concludes

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) released the following statement today: “The European Medicines Agency has concluded its review of emergency contraceptives containing levonorgestrel or ulipristal acetate to assess whether increased bodyweight affects the effectiveness of these medicines in preventing unintended pregnancy following unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure. The Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human…

Open discussion on women’s BMI as a factor in EC failure

On Saturday, May 31, 2014, ECEC and ICEC hosted the event, Women’s BMI as a factor in EC failure: An open discussion on the data available to date, at the Lisboa Congress Center in Lisbon, Portugal. The goal of this event was to present the data, facilitate a transparent information-sharing process, and engage in a scientific…

Swiss position paper regarding EC released

In Switzerland, a paper endorsed by gynecologists, pharmacists, and family planning center health workers has been released, in which these cadres of health care professionals support a common position to the three methods of EC available in Switzerland (levonorgestrel EC pills, ulipristal acetate EC pills, and copper IUDs). The paper has already been sent to…

UK: New guidance to improve access to high quality contraceptive services for youth includes EC

In the UK, new guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) aims to improve access to high quality contraceptive services, especially for young people up to the age of 25. Recommendations on emergency contraception (EC) include: ensuring that young women (and young men) know where to obtain free EC; informing…

EC Medical and Service Delivery Guidelines now in Hungarian

Pro Familia Hungaria’s Affiliation Society of Békés County and the Reproductive Health Working Group of the Regional Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences at Szeged have translated ICEC’s Emergency Contraceptive Pills: Medical and Service Delivery Guidelines into Hungarian. In an effort to fulfill its mission to increase knowledge and access to EC in Europe, ECEC…

New EC guidelines template

ECEC is excited to introduce a new guidelines template, which intends to aid in the development or updating of EC guidelines in European countries according to the best available evidence. Download emergency contrantraception: A guideline for service provision in Europe here. Developed with the support of the European Society of Contraception, this tool addresses the…

WHO guidelines frame EC in human rights context

WHO has released new guidelines on priority actions needed to ensure that different human rights dimensions are systematically and clearly integrated into the provision of contraceptive information and services. Regarding EC, the guidelines recommend that EC be included within the essential medicine supply chain; that special efforts be made to provide comprehensive EC information and…

FRA releases report on violence against women in the EU

On March 5, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is hosting a conference to launch the results of the largest violence against women survey ever undertaken in the EU.  Findings are based on interviews with 42,000 women across the 28 EU Member States and focus on women’s experiences of physical, sexual, and psychological…

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European Medicines Agency to review EC

Beginning in January 2014, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) started reviewing emergency contraceptives to assess whether increased body weight and body mass index (BMI) reduce the efficacy of these medications. Based on the results of this review, EMA will assess whether any changes should be made to the product information for emergency contraceptives containing levonorgestrel…

European Cross-National Study About EC Use and Attitudes

A study published in the European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care in 2013 sought to identify knowledge of and attitudes towards EC among women from five European countries. Sexually-active women from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom were asked about their use of and opinions on EC in an internet-based survey….