Background: In January 2001, emergency hormonal contraception was made available for women over the age of 16 years directly from a pharmacist without prescription. It is of interest whether this change in the UK has led to any improvements or deterioration in the service provided for the women who need it.
Methods: Self- completed, anonymous questionnaires were distributed to women requesting emergency hormonal contraception through a single group of pharmacies located throughout England, Wales and Scotland.
Results: A total 419 women returned completed questionnaires. A greater proportion of women were able to take emergency contraception within 24 h when they obtained their tablets directly from a pharmacy without a prescription (64% versus 46%, P = 0.029). Women who obtained their drugs directly from the pharmacist were just as well informed, just as likely to arrange regular follow-up and generally preferred this system, although they disliked having to pay.
Conclusion: Making emergency hormonal contraception available without prescription has improved services to women who need them, but these improvements are quantitatively minimal, preventing only five additional pregnancies per 10,000 users.