The emergency contraception service in Tianjin China

Objective: To provide the experience of emergency contraception service. Design: A clinical service trial. Setting: Outpatient department of TMRIFP. Subjects: 250 women requesting emergency contraception were recruited from May 1994 to May 1996.Most of them attended this trial within 72 hours after intercourse,only a few came between 73￣120 hours after coitus. Methods: On the basis of actively publishing the knowledge of emergency contraception and giving full play of the family planning network,the three kinds of safe and effective methods of mifepristone,Yuzpe regimen and levonorgestrel were provided for emergency contraception.250 women requesting emergency contraception were treated in our outpatient department.The acceptability and efficacy of emergency contraception service was observed. Results: Many forms such as the newspaper,television,leaflet,forum,blackboard bulletin and telephone etc.were adopted to widespreadly publicizing the knowledge of emergency contraception.More than 3 000 women consulting the emergency contraception were received.The data of treatment with emergency contraception for 250 women were come from two different studies:(1)using mifepristone for 150 women there was one pregnancy;(2)using Yuzpe/levonorgestrel for another 100 women there were three pregnancies,giving a total failure rate of 1.6%.Through the publicity and conduct of emergency contraception,many women were aware of the benefit of proventing unwanted pregnancies and visited us for emergency contraception more and more early. Conclusion: The emergency contraception is safe and effective method and can prevent unwanted pregnancy.An active publicity of the knowledge on emergency contraception is indispensable to reproductive health.The family planning programme should provide emergency contraception service as a part of their routine services.