Use of emergency contraception in the form of the otherwise-called “morning after” pill more than doubled since the drug was approved for use without a prescription, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found.
The new National Health Statistics report included responses from teenagers and women ages 15 to 44 taken through 2019. It found that among teenagers and women who have had sex, about 26 percent between 2015 and 2019 said they used emergency contraception at some point — up from the nearly 11 percent who said they used the pill from 2006 to 2010.
The survey also found that about 22 percent of female teenagers used emergency contraception from 2015 to 2019, which is up from the nearly 14 percent from 2006 to 2010.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the emergency contraception pill for over-the-counter use in 2006. It was initially approved by the agency for doctors to prescribe in 1998.
Emergency contraception, like the Plan B brand pills, are not meant to be used as a regular form of birth control. It’s meant to prevent a pregnancy after no other forms of birth control were used during sex or other methods failed. The pill does not work as a method of abortion and cannot terminate an existing pregnancy.
Concerns grew over whether access to emergency contraception could be restricted after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, prompting the FDA to issue a memo clarifying and reminding consumers that the “morning after” pill does not cause an abortion. After the ruling was struck down, a number of college campuses began installing emergency contraceptive vending machines.
A woman could also opt to get an intrauterine device (IUD) inserted within five days after sex as another form of emergency contraception. The use of IUDs as a method of birth control nearly tripled between the two time periods looked at. About 21 percent of women surveyed said they used an IUD between 2015 and 2019, while 7.7 percent said they used it between 2006 and 2010.
Use of birth control pills slightly ticked down since 2010, with about 78 percent of respondents saying they used the pill through 2019, compared to nearly 82 percent who said the same before 2010. About 34 percent of women who said they used the pill discontinued taking it due to dissatisfaction.
Nearly two-thirds of women who discontinued use of the pill, which is one of the most effective forms of birth control, said they stopped taking it due to the side effects. Side effects of the pill can range from nausea, headaches, increased blood pressure, and it can also increase the risk of blood clots in some people, according to the Mayo Clinic.
