An accesible emergency contraceptive has been recently gaining wider use on the Tufts campus.
The contraceptive, commonly and appropriately known as Plan B, acts as a back-up method of pregnancy prevention. Plan B is used after intercourse when a condom or other contraceptive has already failed.
Congress has recently been pushing to legalize Plan B as an over-the-counter contraceptive for women 16 years of age and older. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, has concluded, in multiple reports, that the drug has not been sufficiently tested for safe over-the-counter use.
Plan B is also commonly referred to as the "morning after pill," although Dr. Margaret Higham, Medical Director of Health Services at Tufts, said this name is misleading.
"[The drug] is not just for the morning after," she said. "It is effective up to 120 hours after sex, and sometimes even longer than that."
According to Barr Pharmaceuticals, the company responsible for distributing Plan B, it may be taken up to three days after contraceptive failure, but will not work if the person is already pregnant.
Awareness of Plan B is currently at less than desirable levels. According to surveys from the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 11 percent of women aged 18 to 44 have heard of emergency contraception and know how to correctly use it.
This low percentage may be due, in large part, to the fact that only 10 percent of health professionals routinely discuss emergency contraception with their patients in that age group.
The Plan B pill does have its downsides as well. According to a news release from Princeton University, the drug has a success rate of only 89 percent - much lower than other forms of contraception.
"It would be rare for a woman to use this drug more than twice," Higham said. "They would rather use something more effective. Taking the drug is really a hassle ... You risk the side effects and it can make you feel nauseous, but it is very effective for an emergency or something unexpected happening."
One student who took Plan B, however, said that she did not experience any side effects.
"I [took emergency contraception] my freshman year after a condom broke," she said. "I wanted to be safe rather than sorry, so I got a prescription."
Students who need Plan B at Tufts have no problem obtaining it in a timely manner from Tufts Health Services.
"Women should know that they can request [emergency contraception] 24 hours a day, seven days a week [at Tufts]," said senior Judy Neufeld, President of Tufts Voices of Choice (VOX) a student organization that works around the issues of reproductive rights for women, among other things.
Neufeld also said that, should a student need the drug when Health Services is closed, it is available by calling the non-emergency number and asking for a prescription.
"This is important for students who need [emergency contraception] late at night or on Sundays, especially because the earlier you take it the more effective it will be," she said.
The Plan B medication is also easily available in colleges around the country. Health Services departments at schools like Harvard University, Georgetown University and Dartmouth College readily provide information on how to obtain the drug on campus, and how and when to use it effectively.
At Tufts, students can obtain a packet of Plan B from a Health Services employee for $10 following a quick consultation.
Some Tufts students agree with certain researchers who believe that if a contraceptive drug for unprotected sex is easily available, the frequencies of both unprotected sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) will increase.
Evidence contradicting this belief was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The article stated that administering packets of Plan B medication to women "did not lead to an increase in unprotected sex, an increase in pregnancy rates, or cause women to forego regular contraception."
The study in the Journal found that women who had greater access to emergency contraceptives were more likely to use them, but that this increase in access did not lead to any statistical change in sexual behavior.
VOX is organizing a week-long emergency contraception awareness program that will begin after spring break.
correction to this article here
