© Melissa King, ShutterstockEmergency contraception pills contain the same hormones as birth control pills, above, but are more controversial.
Women who live in low-income neighborhoods are more likely than their wealthier counterparts to get misinformation about emergency contraception from their local pharmacies, a new study finds.
The results suggest that young women in areas where
teen pregnancy rates are highest may struggle most in trying to get the morning-after pill, which can prevent ovulation - and thus pregnancy - after unprotected sex.
The pill, sold under the brand names ella, Next Choice and Plan B One-Step, made headlines this month when the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, overruled a Food and Drug Administration recommendation that teens younger than 17 be able to get emergency contraception over the counter. Currently, the pill is available at drug stores to women 17 and older, but younger teenagers must get a prescription. Emergency contraception pills become less effective as time passes after unprotected sex, so time is of the essence for women hoping to prevent a pregnancy.
For that reason, quick access to the pill is key. But Tracey Wilkinson, a general pediatric fellow at Boston Medical Center and the Boston University School of Medicine, had been hearing "weird things" about teens' attempts to get the pill - "things like prescriptions not showing up if they'd been sent electronically, or if they were an adolescent, they would have difficulty getting their prescriptions filled," Wilkinson told LiveScience.
The rumors spurred Wilkinson to look into how accessible the
morning-after pill really is for teenagers. From September to December 2010, she and her colleagues had female research assistants call every pharmacy in Nashville, Tenn.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Cleveland, Ohio; Austin, Texas; and Portland, Ore.
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