Emergency contraception Before the debates careful

Here we are with a theme of women's health "sensitive" the pill five days, one that can prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse, when taken within 120 hours. Already on the market in the United States and in many European countries, Italy has just received the approval of the Board of Health, but with a "BUT"

a pregnancy test on the blood required to rule out that it is already in place to become pregnant.

So Aidos (the Italian Association for Women in Development) has sent an open letter to the President of AIFA, the Italian Medicines Agency, which will have to approve this new emergency contraceptive, with a request: exclude compulsory of the test.

Even the most gynecologists is contrary to the tests. Women have expressed, experts as well and we'll see.


But when it comes to reproductive health, contraception more or less of an emergency, the abortion pill, in vitro fertilization (by the way: Italy is the first place to pregnancies with frozen embryos, as has just been reported in the Stockholm European Conference play, despite having one of the most controversial laws in Europe) the question always becomes more complicated and intertwined with the ethical debate, where the views are wasted and overshadow other considerations, perhaps the most important. Here at least two.

Meanwhile the pill for five days is a "therapy" is used to fix a mess that is often caused by a lack of "prevention", ie contraception awareness, particularly among young people.

It 's true that the pill for five days (like the one already on the market, the next day) is for emergencies, but it is also true that a survey conducted by the Italian Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (Sigo) of more than a thousand of young people, reveals that at least one in four teenagers has used it (even the official figures say that a total of 360,000 packs of morning-after pills sold in Italy in 2009, half has been used by under 20).

The minors, then, are responsible, alone, 3.4 of the total of all induced abortions

Not only that, always according to the survey Sigo, just a guy on three take on holiday contraception, even though 64 percent believe that occasional live an adventure (the Sigo has promoted a program of information on contraception).

The second consideration is the side effects of emergency contraception. Take ulipristal, the name of the drug, it is like drinking a glass of water (click here to read the card scientific).

At least ten percent of people have problems after administration. One more reason not to be taken lightly this method and not get lost in the maze of ethical debate.