Use of and attitudes towards emergency contraception: a survey of women in five European countries.

Objective: To identify knowledge of and attitudes towards emergency contraception (EC) in women from five European countries.

Methods: In an internet-based survey, sexually active women aged 16 to 46 years from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK were asked about their use of and opinions on EC.

Results: Overall, 7170 women completed the survey. Thirty percent reported having had unprotected sexual intercourse during the previous 12 months (population at risk). Twenty-four percent of the population at-risk reported using EC. The most common reasons given for not using EC were: not perceiving themselves to be at risk of pregnancy; and not thinking about EC as an option. A third of respondents indicated they did not know how EC works, with several misconceptions about EC noted e.g., leading to infertility, similar to abortion. Seventy-nine percent of women agreed that EC is a responsible choice to prevent unwanted pregnancy, but nearly a third of women who used EC felt uncomfortable or judged when obtaining it.

Conclusions: EC is underutilised by three-quarters of the women surveyed. Women do not recognise they may be at risk of pregnancy when contraception fails. There are still several misbeliefs about EC indicating a need for better education of the public.