Morning After Pill Will Be Free Over The Festive Period
07/12/2011
British Pregnancy Advisory Service aim to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
The morning-after pill is being offered free to women in the UK over Christmas and New Year in a bid to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Sexual health charities regard Christmas and New Year as a high risk period for unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
In response to this, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) is offering women the chance to request the morning-afte -pill free of charge and have it delivered at home.
For women to obtain the pill in advance, they will need to fill out a short form online, after which they will be contacted by a specially trained nurse. The nurse will then provide information on how the pill works, when to take it and what to expect. The pill is then dispatched, also with condoms to the woman's home address.
The morning-after pill can be taken up to 72 hours after having sex, but is most likely to work if taken sooner. Side-effects can include nausea and diarrhoea.
The sexual health charity BPAS said women could have difficulty obtaining the morning-after pill due to the pharmacists and GP clinics being closed, or appointments may be more difficult. They also stated that some health workers refuse to provide it and the £25 cost may also be a problem for some.
Specialist contraception nurse at BPAS, Tracey Forsyth said: "We know that women often do not take the morning-after pill after unprotected sex. They may not think their risk of pregnancy is high, and the cost, inconvenience or embarrassment of obtaining it may put them off.
"Having it at home means you are much more likely to take it as soon as you need it.
"Sometimes women worry that requesting the pill in advance makes it look like you are planning on taking chances.
"In fact, the opposite is true. Making sure you have a back-up to help prevent an unwanted pregnancy is making sure nothing is left to chance."