The safety of available and emerging options for emergency contraception

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Emergency contraception (EC) is a way to significantly reduce the chance of becoming pregnant after an episode of unprotected intercourse. Considerable data support the safety of all available and emerging options for EC.

Areas covered: This review presents a comprehensive summary of the literature regarding the safety of EC as well as directions for further study. PubMed was searched for all relevant studies published prior to June 2017.

Expertopinion: All available methods of EC (i.e., ulipristal acetate pills, levonorgestrel pills, and the copper-IUD), carry only mild side effects and serious adverse events are essentially unknown. The copper IUD has the highest efficacy of EC methods. Given the excellent safety profiles of mifepristone and the levonorgestrel IUD, research is ongoing related to use of these products for EC.

KEYWORDS:

• Copper IUD
• emergency contraception safety
• ulipristal acetate
• levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pill
• emergency contraception safety

Article highlights

• Common EC methods include pills containing ulipristal acetate (UPA) or levonorgestrel (LNG) and the copper-IUD (Cu-IUD)

• All EC methods are extremely safe and have no long-term effect on women’s fertility

• All EC methods can be used by breastfeeding women

• ECPs used in conjunction with medications that are metabolized by cytochrome P450 may be less effective

• ECPs have no known adverse effects on inadvertently exposed pregnancies

• Efforts remain to increase access to EC and improve clinician training related to all methods of EC, particularly the Cu-IUD

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Additional information

Funding

This paper has not been funded.