‘Morning after’ pill doesn’t alter sexual behavior

Easy access to emergency contraception apparently does not lead women to abandon their usual birth control or put them at increased risk for sexually transmitted disease.

In six states, including California, women can obtain emergency contraception in pharmacies without obtaining a prescription from their doctor.

Some opponents have argued that easier access to the pills could lead to an increase in promiscuity and sexually transmitted disease.

The study involved 2,117 women, ages 15 to 24, at four San Francisco area clinics. Participants were assigned to one of three groups, each given a different form of access to emergency contraception -- at pharmacies, at clinics and in packs of “morning after” pills.

“We looked at their contraceptive use, their condom use and the number of sexual partners; there was no increased risk-taking,” said lead researcher Dr. Tina Raine of UC San Francisco.

Raine said the study also found that about 55% of those who received advance packs of “morning after” pills didn’t use them after unprotected sex.

The results were reported in the Jan. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn.