2023-12-28 15:38:41
December 28, 2023
In the United States, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal, the week following the New Year is characterized by an increase in sales of emergency hormonal contraception. The authors call for a better policy to prevent the risks of sexual violence and better access to contraception during this period.
The information is less light than it seems. According to an American study published on December 20 in The British Medical Journal, sales of emergency contraception climb by 10% in the United States the week following New Year’s Eve. Results that worry researchers at Texas Tech University. “This indicates an unmet need for contraception that requires increased attention,” they note in a press release.
To conduct this study, researchers analyzed sales of levonorgestrel – this synthetic progestin which delays ovulation and disrupts the implantation of a possible egg – on the days following New Year’s Day, from 2016 to 2022. This past year, regarding 41,000 more morning-following pills were sold following the New Year than during the rest of the year. Several reasons are put forward by researchers: more sexual relations during this party, less protected sex due, in particular, to higher alcohol consumption, an increasing number of sexual assaults at this time of the year. year and, finally, restricted access to condoms (stores closed). Other holidays were also associated with increased levonorgestrel sales, such as Valentine’s Day, Independence Day, and St. Patrick’s Day.
Target prevention policies on these collective celebrations
Therefore, according to the team of scientists, public health policies should particularly target these events with dedicated prevention. For them“better identification of behavioral risks, prevention strategies once morest sexual violence and better access to contraception during the holidays would make it possible to limit the risks associated with unprotected sexual activities”. They add : “More than ever, emergency contraception is a critically important option for American women, especially those living in areas where abortion is banned or severely restricted.”
As a reminder, in France, emergency hormonal contraception can be delivered free of charge, available without a prescription in town pharmacies, for all minors and adults, since January 1, 2023. Two emergency contraceptives are available: levonorgestrel, to be taken within 3 days and EllaOne (ulipristal acetate) to be taken within 5 days following poorly or unprotected sexual intercourse. The sooner emergency contraception is taken, the more effective it will be. “Its relative reliability requires a pregnancy test 3 weeks following unprotected intercourse”advises Family Planning.
Source : The British medical journal, 20 décembre 2023 – Planning familial
Written by: Dorothée Duchemin – Edited by: Emmanuel Ducreuzet
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