Women Seeking Emergency Contraceptive Pills by Using the Internet: Wu J, Gipson T, Chin N, et al. Obstet Gynecol 2007;110:44–52

Abstract

This study was a quantitative survey of 200 women seeking emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) from The Emergency Contraceptive Website (http://ec.princeton.edu). The objective of the study was to determine the barriers and attitudes related to emergency contraceptive access among women who use the Internet. Telephone surveys of a convenience sample of 200 women requesting ECPs were obtained. These women were predominantly white, college-educated, urban residents of high socioeconomic status. A 27-item survey collected the following information: 1) reason(s) for needing ECPs, 2) recent contraceptive and ECP use, 3) barriers to getting ECPs, 4) attitudes about advanced prescription of ECPs and non-prescription ECPs, and 5) demographics. The women most commonly reported condom breakage, slippage, or incorrect use as the reason for needing ECPs. Structural barriers, such as inconvenient office hours, were cited as the largest barrier to obtaining emergency contraception for those women who attempted to obtain ECPs from local providers. The majority of women in the study, however, employed unconventional resources such as the Internet for emergency contraception. Most women supported advanced prescription of ECPs for future use, but less than half were in support of non-prescription ECPs. The main concern about non-prescription emergency contraception was that it may promote risky sexual behavior and poor contraceptive practice. The authors conclude that this study gives new insight into the issue of emergency contraception through an integrated analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data.