Clin Exp Reprod Med.  2013 Sep;40(3):126-130. 10.5653/cerm.2013.40.3.126.

Effectiveness of emergency contraception in women after sexual assault

• Choi DS
• Kim M
• Hwang KJ
• Lee KM
• Kong TW

• KMID: 2167503
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5653/cerm.2013.40.3.126

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To assess the effectiveness of emergency single-dose levonorgestrel contraception in preventing unintended pregnancies among woman who visited the emergency department (ED) due to sexual assault (SA).
METHODS
We conducted a retrospective chart review in a university hospital in South Korea. Cases from November 10, 2006 to November 9, 2009 were enrolled. Information from the initial visit to the ED and subsequent follow-up visits to the gynecology outpatient clinic was collected.
RESULTS
In total, 1,179 women visited the ED due to SA. Among them, 416 patients had a gynecological examination and 302 patients who received emergency contraception (EC) (1.5 mg single-dose levonorgestrel) at the ED due to SA were enrolled. Ten patients did not return for follow-up examinations. In follow-up visits at the outpatient clinic, two pregnancies were confirmed, which showed the failure rate of the EC to be 0.68%.
CONCLUSION
Single-dose levonorgestrel EC is extremely effective at preventing pregnancy among victims of SA.

Keyword

Sexual assault; Emergency contraception; Levonorgestrel

MeSH Terms

Ambulatory Care Facilities
Contraception
Contraception, Postcoital
Emergencies
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Gynecological Examination
Gynecology
Humans
Levonorgestrel
Pregnancy
Republic of Korea
Retrospective Studies
Levonorgestrel