Use of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) is common among Scandinavian women, with one-third having used them at least once, according to a study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica .
For the study, women aged 18-45 years were randomly selected in 2011-2012 from national registers in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Of the 45,445 women, 33.9% had used ECPs at least once in their lifetime, and among users, 15.8% had used ECPs within the last year and 50.0% had used them more than once in their life.
Higher education, smoking, binge drinking, age at first intercourse, having new sexual partners, and not using condoms with the new partners were associated with ECP use.
"Since ECP use is not protective against sexually transmitted infections, our findings highlight the need to encourage awareness and regular use of condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases in women," said lead author Susanne K. Kjaer, MD, DMSc, of the Danish Cancer Society Research Center.
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Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica