Pitfalls of adapting emergency contraception CEU guidance

Comment on ‘An emergency contraception algorithm based on risk assessment: changes in clinicians’ practice and patients’ choices’

“…Contrary to previous teaching, only 10% of women with a 28-day cycle will ovulate 14 days before their next bleed 2. Previous correspondence shows that when hormonal assessments were carried out, women confident of the date of their last menstrual period (LMP) and cycle length were not where they thought they were in their cycle,3 as Drs McKay and Gilbert hint in their article. So, calculations based only on LMP and cycle length are not accurate enough to inform an individual patient not wishing an unplanned pregnancy.…”

Ulipristal acetate emergency contraception

“…I read with interest the letter by Webb et al 1 about the pitfalls of adapting the Clinical Effectiveness Unit's guidance on emergency contraception (EC) 2. Their letter discusses, in relation to maximising the pharmacodynamic attributes of ulipristal acetate (UA), the significant inaccuracies inherent in the calculation of the timing of ovulation based on the menstrual history.…”

Timing of emergency IUD fitting

“…We wish to thank Dr Davies1 for raising an issue we were not able to address in our original letter2 due to space limitations. The issue with emergency contraception intrauterine devices (EC IUDs) is slightly different.…”