Women and doctors have long known that administering a high dosage of certain birth control pills within 72 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse can prevent pregnancy. Since this was not originally the intended use for birth control pills, it is only in the past year have two new drugs specifically designed for emergency contraception been approved.

In 1999, Health Canada approved Preven as the first emergency contraceptive kit. It consists of a pregnancy test and four pills of estrogen and progestin. And only three months ago, a progestin-only emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) with lesser side effects was placed on the Canadian market under the name Plan B.

Lois Pratt, Nursing Co-ordinator at Queen’s Student Health Services says that Student Health still uses Ovral, a high-dose birth control pill, for their emergency contraception. When a woman goes into Student Health for an ECP, she will be given four pills of Ovral free of charge. Pratt recommends that women make an appointment first thing in the morning, as ECP is more effective the sooner it is taken. On weekends there is a doctor on call to meet with students and write prescriptions.

According to the 1999 Montreal Health Press, all forms of ECP are 98 per cent effective if taken within 72 hours. ECP is essentially a high dose of the same female hormones used in birth control pills. By changing a woman’s hormone levels, ECP potentially blocks ovulation and changes the lining of the uterus, by making it an inhospitable environment for implantation. ECP will not affect an existing pregnancy or a pregnancy that occurs later in a woman’s cycle.

Since the approval of a medication specifically designed for use as an emergency contraception in Canada, the debate surrounding it becomes focused on accessibility. A 1999 report from the Ontario Medical Association Committee on Drugs and Pharmacotherapy recommends that physicians consider providing women at risk of needing ECP an advanced prescription. Making ECP available in drugstores with a prescription is another option advocated by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and supported by the Ontario Medical Association.

An important part of accessing the ECP is ensuring that women and men know about it before they need it. ” The majority of people do not know about ECP, on campus and off campus,” said Queen’s Health Educator Diane Nolting. Pratt, however, feels that knowledge is increasing. “We might have one a day, sometimes two a day at Student Health Services,” Pratt said about the frequency of women requiring ECP. “We are delighted that the word had finally got out… I would say our numbers have increased over the last three to four years.”

With a very transient population at Queen’s, we cannot assume that all students have the same knowledge or background. Therefore, education and awareness are crucial. Nolting agreed, “If you don’t know about ECP you can’t begin to make a decision about its use.”

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Anna Palubiski and Hannah Varto are the Director and External Educator, respectively, of the Sexual Health Resource Center.