Morning-after pill free over festive season

The morning-after pill is being offered free to women in the UK over Christmas and New Year in a bid to to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Christmas and New Year is regarded as a high-risk period for unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases by sexual health charities.

In response to this, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) is offering women the chance to request the morning-after-pill free-of charge and have it delivered at home.

Women who want to obtain the pill in advance need to fill out a short form online, after which they will be contacted by a specially trained nurse. The nurse will then provide information on how the pill works, when to take it and what to expect. The pill is then dispatched - along with condoms - to the woman's home address.

The morning-after-pill can be taken up to 72 hours after having sex, but is most likely to work if taken sooner. Side-effects can include nausea and diarrhoea.

The sexual health charity BPAS said women can have difficulty obtaining the morning-after-pill; pharmacists and GP clinics may be closed, appointments may be more difficult and some health workers refuse to provide it. The £25 cost may also be a barrier for some.

Tracey Forsyth, a specialist contraception nurse at BPAS, said: "We know that women often do not take the morning-after pill after unprotected sex. They may not think their risk of pregnancy is high, and the cost, inconvenience or embarrassment of obtaining it may put them off.

"Having it at home means you are much more likely to take it as soon as you need it.

"Sometimes women worry that requesting the pill in advance makes it look like you are planning on taking chances.

"In fact, the opposite is true - making sure you have a back-up to help prevent an unwanted pregnancy is making sure nothing is left to chance."

More information: www.santacomes.org

This article was published on Tue 6 December 2011