Background

An increasing number of women know Emergency Contraception (EC) as a method to prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse. Levonorgestrel-only pills are safe and show minimal adverse effects. Studies show controversial results regarding protective behaviour and sexually transmitted infections (STI). Some studies show that EC does not increase rates of sexually transmitted infections, encourage adoption of less reliable contraceptive methods, or otherwise negatively impact sexual and reproductive health. Others showed that EC users have more current or previous STIs. The number of abortions, however, is not yet influenced by dispensing EC through community pharmacies or in advance.

Aims:

• to collect information about the quality of consultation and EC users’ satisfaction in different provider settings (pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory gynaecologists)
• to assess the profile of the women in the Basel region, who make use of EC and in which situations EC is requested; with a sub analysis of migrant women.