Knowledge of Emergency Contraceptive Pills among Hungarian Women Presenting for Induced Abortion or Seeking Emergency Contraception

Abstract

Aim: To compare the differences in contraceptive characteristics and the knowledge of emergency contraception (ECP) among women who used ECP after unprotected intercourse and those who sought an abortion.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted in a Hungarian university hospital among women for whom ECP was prescribed after unprotected intercourse (n = 940) as well as women who presented for the termination of pregnancy (n = 1592) between January 1, 2005 and November 20, 2006. Their knowledge of ECP and their experience with and attitudes toward ECP use were targeted.

Results: The availability of ECP was well known (87.9 %), but it was still greatly underutilized: applied by only 13 of the 1592 women who resorted to abortion. Primarily, the ECP group consisted of those who experienced a condom failure significantly more often (odds ratio [OR] = 4.1), followed by those cases where ECP applications was a consequence of not using any kind of contraception (OR = 3.8). Fewer than one third (32 %) of the abortion seekers had previously used ECP, and only one fifth knew how to obtain it. Appropriate awareness of ECP was influenced by information obtained from health-care providers (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.93) or school education (AOR = 1.82).

Conclusions: More thorough education is needed to provide a deeper knowledge of ECP use during contraceptive counseling for women seeking abortion, including those contraceptive mishaps where unintended pregnancy can be prevented by ECP.

Zusammenfassung

Ziel: Diese Arbeit untersucht einerseits das Wissen der Frauen um die „Pille danach“, andererseits vergleicht diese Studie die verschiedenen Verhütungsmethoden, welche die Frauen, die um die „Pille danach“ oder Abort ansuchen, verwenden.

Methodik: Es wurde eine Umfrage an einer ungarischen Universitätsklinik durchgeführt. Gruppe 1 umfasste Frauen, welche die „Pille danach“ erhalten hatten (n = 940), die 2. Gruppe setzte sich aus Frauen zusammen, die sich für einen Schwangerschaftsabbruch entschieden hatten (n = 1592). Die Umfrage wurde zwischen 01.01.2005 und 20.11.2006 durchgeführt. Beide Gruppen wurden gezielt nach deren Erfahrungen, Einstellungen und Kenntnissen über die „Pille danach“ befragt.

Ergebnisse: Die Notfallverhütung ist zu einem hohen Grad bekannt (87,9 %), wird aber nur selten verwendet. Nur 13 von 1592 Frauen, die eine Abtreibung wünschten, verwendeten diese Methode. Die Gruppe der Frauen, welche die Pille danach vorgezogen hatten, benutzen häufiger Kondome (Odds Ratio [OR] = 4,1) oder verwendeten keine Präventivmittel (OR = 3,8). Weniger als ein Drittel der Frauen, die einen Schwangerschaftsabbruch wünschten, hatten zuvor die Notfallverhütung versucht. Nur ein Fünftel aller Frauen in dieser Untersuchung weiß, wo man die „Pille danach“ bekommen kann. Frauen, die gut über die Existenz, Anwendung und Beschaffung informiert sind, haben diese Information von Gesundheitsdienstleistern (Adjust Odds Ratio [AOR] = 3,93) oder der Schule (AOR = 1.82).

Schlussfolgerung: Bessere Ausbildung der Frauen in Bezug auf die Existenz, Anwendung und Beschaffung der Pille danach könnte die Rate der Aborte senken.

Key words

emergency contraceptive pill - women requesting pregnancy termination

Schlüsselwörter

Pille danach - Frauen - die Abtreibung verlangen

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