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Switzerland: new recommendations for EC providers (available in German and French)

September 2020. This past month of July, the Swiss Interdisciplinary Group of Experts on Emergency Contraception (IENK) updated its position paper, originally published in 2014, in order to reflect new recommendations and research findings (as of April 21st, 2020).  The paper is available in French  and German, and also directly from Santé Sexuelle Suisse (IENK‘s member)…

Australia: new consensus statement on the provision of EC

August 2020. In Australia, the Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health COVID-19 Coalition just published the consensus statement on the provision of emergency contraception, which includes recommendations for primary care, pharmacy and policy. Some of the recommendations are: For primary care: Women should be advised of all available emergency contraception (EC) methods at the point of contact. Interdisciplinary collaborations and…

UK: obtaining EC still isn’t as easy as it should be

July 2020. A mystery shopper study recently published in the BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health (PMID:32554399, Full text) explores the standard of care around accessing EC from community pharmacies in the United Kingdom. The study concludes that while availability of EC from pharmacies has improved access, the need to have a consultation with a pharmacist introduces…

Council of Europe: Historic resolution on contraception

June 2020.  The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) just adopted Resolution 2331 (2020) “Empowering women: promoting access to contraception in Europe”.  It is the first time in its history that the parliamentary body of the Council of Europe provides recommendations in a Resolution entirely dedicated to improving access to contraception in Europe. Among others,…

ICEC and FIGO’s EC Medical and Service Delivery Guidance available in French

June 2020. The fourth edition of ICEC and FIGO’s Emergency Contraceptive Pills Medical and Service Delivery Guidance is now available in French. “Pilules contraceptives d’urgence. Directives médicales et de prestation de services”, originally published in English in December 2018, serves as a key reference and training document for service provision of EC.  The French edition of this guidance…

Youth and EC

June 2020. ECEC participated in the webinar organised by FP2020 “Emergency contraception and young people. Your questions answered” on June 16th. These are some of the issues addressed: What are the facts about young people’s use of EC? Does it match our assumptions? Is it safe for young people to use EC frequently? How frequent…

Ensuring access to EC during COVID-19: Switzerland

June 2020. In the past few months, during the lockdown due to COVID-19, there has been uncertainty about access to abortion, STI testing and emergency contraception (EC). In Switzerland, SANTÉ SEXUELLE SUISSE (the umbrella organization of sexual health centres) called upon its members to continue providing sexual and reproductive health counselling and services during the pandemic….

See (and show) how emergency contraceptive pills work

May 2020. Gedeon Richter launched the Russian, Latvian and Spanish version of the 3-D animation video, which provides a clear and easy-to-understand explanation of the mechanism of action of emergency contraception pills. The video, originally published in English in 2016, is available for use in educational programas and trainings on this YouTube channel, and also…

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“EC in the COVID-19 era: advance access is more important than ever”

May 2020. The American Society for Emergency Contraception (ASEC) publishes “EC in the COVID-19 era: advance access is more important than ever”. While EC access in the US and most European countries differ (UPA EC pills are still a prescription product in the US) ASEC overall recommendation is still valid in our context: know where…

Protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights during COVID-19. Joint statement

May 14, 2020. On May sixth, 59 countries, including 37 European ones, issued a joint statement highlighting that COVID -19 may negatively impact women’s and girls’ abilities to exercise their sexual rights and reproductive rights. The statement raises the increased risk of gender-based violence, and addresses the need to ensure sexual health and reproductive health services,…

A snapshot in time during COVID-19

May 8, 2020. Last April, the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, and the European Network of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, issued Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. The joint report looks at the pandemic’s impact on access to essential SRHR services, and includes recommendations for decision-makers. With regards to…