Levonorgestrel-only emergency contraception: real-world tolerance and efficacy

Levonorgestrel-only emergency contraception was introduced onto the market in France in May 1999 on the heels of a large-scale clinical trial demonstrating its enhanced efficacy and tolerance over the combined estrogen-progestin reference method. To evaluate the product's real-world tolerance and efficacy in the more than 20 months that it has been on the market, a retrospective study was performed among large-scale prescribers in France. One hundred physicians were asked to complete a written questionnaire outlining their practices with regards to their prescription of the product as well as their knowledge and evaluation of the product's tolerance and efficacy. Results from 82 respondents representing over 2,000 administrations demonstrate that physicians judge levonorgestrel-only emergency contraception to be very well tolerated and without unexpected side effects. Further, respondents report a pregnancy rate similar to that chronicled in the large-scale clinical trial (less than 3%), thus substantiating conclusions regarding the product's considerable efficacy and its potential for reducing the rate of unintended pregnancies.