§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the prescriptions for emergency contraceptive drugs made during 1997–98 he estimates to have prevented unwanted pregnancies. [113164]
§ Yvette CooperIn 1997, 760,000 prescriptions were issued by general practitioners or family planning clinics for emergency contraception pills. Guidance issued in October 1999 by the Faculty of Family Planning states that the overall risk of pregnancy, after a single act of unprotected sex on any day in the menstrual cycle is 2–4 per cent. but can be as high as 20–30 per cent. in the days before and just after ovulation. These figures are for all ages and include older women whose fertility is declining. An accurate estimate of the number of pregnancies expected without treatment is not possible without the menstrual and coital histories of the women concerned.
It is generally understood that use of Schering PC4 (the only hormonal product licensed for emergency contraception use in 1997) prevents 75 per cent. of potential pregnancies that would otherwise occur.