News

September 30, 2018. Access to a full range of contraceptive options is a basic right.  Still, providing universal access to modern, effective and affordable contraception, in order to make sure people have choices over their reproductive lives, is not a public policy priority and remains a challenge in most European countries. Limited Access: Europe’s Contraception Deficit….

September 26, 2018. It is World Contraception Day (WCD) again; a day to reflect on and raise  awareness of all contraceptive methods and enable young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health. ECEC works to make emergency contraception more equally available in Europe.  Postcoital contraception provides a second chance to prevent pregnancy after…

June 6, 2018. The Ministry of Health of Andorra announced today that, upon review of the current provision policies for emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), pharmacists have been informed that prescription requirements have been lifted. Andorra currently has both LNG and UPA ECP products in the market. The safety profile of ECPs, the critical importance of facilitating…

June 1, 2018. Partnership for Public Health translates into local language in Bosnia i Herzegovina and pre-tests the EC wheel. This work was conducted in collaboration with the Family Physician Association of the Federation of Bosnia i Herzegovina, and the Family Physician Association of Republika Srpska, and with support from UNFPA.The local version of the wheel was produced in June…

April 11, 2018. The European Parliamentary Forum on Population & Development (EPF) launches the Contraception Atlas 2018. In this second edition, the Atlas tracks government policies on a) access to contraceptive methods, b) family planning counselling and c) provision of online information on contraception, in 46 European states. Belgium, France and the United Kingdom rank…

March 20th, 2018. The International Medical Advisory Panel (IMAP) of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), just published its new Statement on emergency contraception (EC). This document offers guidance for health care providers to strengthen the provision of EC services according to the latest research, experiences and international recommendations. While the Statement is primarily intended to inform IPPF Member Associations, it also provides…

The Italian Medical Contraception Society (SMIC)  is requesting to the Ministry of Health and the national Medicines Agency that  EC pills are mandatorily stocked in all pharmacies, in order to make them more accessible and reduce time to start of treatment; and that EC is covered by the national health system, and thus provided free of charged in, at…

December 5, 2017.  The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, issued a set of recommendations addressed to States on how to better ensure women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Europe. Read the full report here. The recommendations underscore that women’s sexual & reproductive rights are human rights, and that States have…

In early 2017, the Groupe interdisciplinaire d’expert·e·s en contraception d’urgence (IENK) and the University of Basel developed an audiovisual four module training aimed at strengthening EC counselling in Swiss pharmacies. The four videos are available in French in this You Tube channel and also from IENK website, along with other useful resources in French, German and Italian.

September 2017.  The delivery of EC by pharmacists is an important contribution to the promotion of sexual health and allows easier access to the method. When pharmacists have the necessary knowledge, the majority of emergency contraception issues can be resolved in the pharmacy, enabling the woman to take the most suitable EC method immediately on site. In some situations,…

July 2017. The British health retailer Superdrug (the second largest chain in the United Kingdom) announced on June 27th the sell of a generic levonorgestrel (LNG) emergency contraceptive pill, at less than half the price of the currently branded EC pills. Ezinelle will be sold at around 15,30 €, while currently the rest of LNG brands…

June 2017.  On June 23rd President Andrzej Duda finally signed the bill proposed by the ruling party Law and Justice (PiS), which will change the status of the only EC pill currently available without prescription in Poland  (EC with ulipristal acetate, sold under the brand name ellaOne). The so called “Act of 25th May 2017…