The Consortium for Emergency Contraception is an international collaboration among eight organizations committed to making a dedicated product for emergency contraception a standard part of reproductive health care around the world. Member organizations are: The Concept Foundation (Bangkok); International Planned Parenthood Federation (London); Pacific Institute for Women’s Health (Los Angeles); Pathfinder International (Boston); Population Council (New York); Population Services International (Washington, DC); Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH); and UNDP/UNFPA/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (Geneva).

The Consortium will fulfill its original mandate by mid-1999. At that time, given the enthusiastic response to emergency contraception around the world, and the increase in the number of organizations engaged in introducing this method, the Consortium will welcome new members interested in working together to ensure a coordinated introduction of emergency contraception worldwide.

For information about the Consortium, please contact any of the member organizations. To be added to the newsletter email list, contact the Population Council (malevrontas@popcouncil.org), and to obtain Consortium materials, contact PATH (ewells@PATH.org).

Sharon Camp, who coordinated and helped found the Consortium for Emergency Contraception, recently resigned from her position as Consortium Coordinator, in order to dedicate more time to the Women’s Capital Corporation. WCC was established to bring a levonorgestrel-based second-generation dedicated emergency contraception product to the United States and Canada. It is generally assumed that U.S. F.D.A. approval for the new, improved levonorgestrel regimen will help accelerate its adoption worldwide.

Sharon’s leadership of the Consortium was invaluable, and the membership of the Consortium wishes her all the best in her important new endeavors.

The American Society for Emergency Contraception, ASEC, was recently founded in response to the need expressed at a recent emergency contraception meeting (held at the Council October 1997) for an organization that could focus on US policy and advocacy issues on emergency contraception. A letter was sent in November to all of those who attended the October meeting, to gauge interest and solicit commitments from a core group of founding members. The list of founding members has been drawn up, and the Council is in the process of developing letterhead for ASEC. The organization is expected to be informal, and as described in the initial letter, its purpose is to "sponsor an annual meeting, facilitate the exchange of timely information, and seek opportunities to promote the wider availability of emergency contraception." Although the focus is on US issues, international affiliates are welcome. There are currently no membership dues, and it is expected that minor administrative costs will be covered by a special category of "Sponsoring members," primarily foundations.

Contact: Kelly Blanchard

The Population Council

One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza

New York, NY 10017 USA

Tel: (212) 339-0656

Fax: (212) 755-6052

Email: kblanchard@popcouncil.org

Stressing the importance of consortia in collaborative reproductive health work, the Wallace Global Foundation commissioned an evaluation of the Consortium for Emergency Contraception. The hope is that donors and groups interested in formed consortia can learn from the successes and failures of this three-year-old Consortium. Analysis is still on-going; a report will be available by mid-1998:

Contact: Walter Mertons

Management Sciences for Health (consultant)

15 Clemmons Street

Southborough, MA 01772

Tel: 508.875.5390

Email: Walter_Mertons@compuserve.com

Gynetics Inc. recently became the first company to respond to the FDA’s 1997 invitation to make an emergency contraception product available in the United States. A New Drug Application (NDA) filed by Gynetics has been accepted for review by the FDA (the FDA still needs to approve the drug). The new product, which will be manufactured in the United States, is anticipated to become available in 1998.

Contact: Rod Mackenzie

Gynetics Inc.

105 Raider Boulevard, Suite 203

Belle Mead, NJ 08502-1510

Tel: (908) 359-2429

Fax: (908) 359-6660

Email: gynetics@aol.com

A California company is offering Ovral repackaged for EC use. The bottles of four or six pills will provide a cost-savings in areas in the United States where laws against tampering with the packaging of prescription drugs means that providers have to prescribe entire pill packets when providing EC to their clients. Pharpak is also bringing out a new Planned Parenthood condom.

Contact: Pharmpak: A Drug Repackager

1221 Anderson Drive, Suite B

San Raphael, CA 94901

Tel: (800) 541-6315

Fax: (415) 455-8445

On April 10th of this year, the Wallace A. Gerbode Foundation approved a program related investment (P.R.I.) of $250,000 as an equity investment in the start-up company Women's Capital Corp. WCC 's first product is expected to be an improved "second generation" emergency contraceptive product to the U.S. market, based on the levonorgestrel-only regimen tested by the World Health Organization.

The legal opinion supporting the P.R.I. is in preparation. Anyone who wants a copy should contact Tom Layton at the Gerbode foundation and expect to wait for about three weeks.

Contact: Thomas C. Layton, Executive Director

Wallace A. Gerbode Foundation

470 Columbus Avenue, Suite 209

San Francisco, CA 94133

Tel: (413) 391-0911 Email: tlayton@igc.org

For further information about the Women’s Capital Corporation:

Contact: Sharon Camp, Ph.D

Women’s Capital Corporation

8930 Camp Road

Welcome, MD 20693

Tel: (301) 753-1926

Fax: (301) 753-1927

Email: scamp@atlantech.com

The Center for Biomedical Research at the Population Council has just started the preclinical work to develop a patch releasing Nestorone which is active for 3.5 days. The patch will act like the levonorgestrel pills by delaying ovulation. The first clinical trials are expected to start in late fall of 1998.

Contact: Elof Johansson

1230 York Avenue

New York, NY 10021

Tel: (212) 327-8731

Fax: (212) 327-7678

Email: ejohansson@popcbr.rockefeller.edu

A Chinese pharmaceutical company has developed a "morning after" birth control pill, Chinese media reported Monday. The drug product, developed by the State Family Planning Research Institute and Beijing No. 3 Pharmaceutical Plant, can be safely taken after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy, the China Women’s News reported. The report did not provide details about the pill’s chemical contents or say when it would be widely available.

The Chinese government allows most urban couples to have only one child, and strongly discourages rural families from having more than two children. Abortions are widely used to stop unauthorized or unwanted pregnancies. Chinese authorities are trying to encourage couples to choose smaller families through better contraception, health education and financial incentives.

A phased introduction of emergency contraception is being carried out in Zambia, with a particular focus on exploratory research to develop strategies for introduction, and operations research to test the strategies that are developed. The first phase, consisting of the exploratory research, was recently completed, and a meeting was held in March 1998 to share results.

To date, the project has resulted in the distribution of EC to over 500 clients, following the training of 89 participants from more than 20 sites. Much has been learned from the preparatory research. For instance, a study was carried out among termination of pregnancy clients, examining potential demand for EC among this population, and illustrating barriers to access. One striking result is that many women did not suspect the possibility of pregnancy around the time of unprotected intercourse. This has important implications for EC use. A survey of 1,600 family planning and health care clients assessed knowledge, beliefs and sources of information about emergency contraception.

A report including research findings on such issues as accessibility, service provision and side effects will be available from:

Contact: John Skibiak

The Population Council

P.O. Box 17643

Nairobi, KENYA

Tel: (254)(2) 713-480/1/2/3/4

Fax: (254)(2) 713-479

Email: jskibiak@popcouncil.or.ke

The Brazilian Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Population Council are conducting a survey of Ob-Gyn physicians to assess their knowledge, attitudes and practices related to emergency contraception. The study will assess the types and doses of drugs used in Brazil, and evaluate whether there are variations among Brazil’s different regions. Results will be available mid-1998.

Contact: Dr. Loren Galvao or Dr. Juan Diaz:

The Population Council

Caixa Postal 6181

Cidade Universitaria

13.081-970, Campinas

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Vietnam pharmacists continue to be trained to provide ECs, as a part of a project jointly undertaken by Pathfinder and DKT, a social marketing organization. Materials, including an EC symbol, are also being developed for a new public information campaign. A recent study conducted by the Ministry of Health found that knowledge of EC was very low among family planning and abortion clients, with only 1.4% of women reporting that they knew about EC.

To date, the project has trained 420 pharmacists in two provinces, and is about to start training another 300 in Ho Chi Minh City. A follow-up evaluation in Hanoi a year after the original training shows that pharmacists still knew the correct dosage (almost none did before the training). Pharmacists are also receiving refresher training on their knowledge regarding pills and condoms.

Contact: Patricia Weisenfeld, Deputy

Pathfinder International

138A Giang Vo Street

Hanoi, Vietnam

Tel: (84)(4) 430-283

Fax: (84)(4) 430-487

Email: pweisenfeld@pathfind.org

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Tibetan Government in Exile, the governing body for Tibetan refugees, initiated a reproductive health institutionalization effort in 1997. The initial project focus has been on ensuring the delivery of the minimal initial service package (MISP) of reproductive health services outlined in the UNHCR/UNFPA Field Manual for Reproductive Health in Refugee Situations in ten settlements within India and Nepal. The provision of emergency contraception (EC) is one element of the MISP and has been introduced to health staff through a newly developed RH training program. During a recent evaluation visit to nine of the ten sites, project staff noted that EC services are almost universally available, although lack of public knowledge about this treatment has kept demand low. Project staff also noted a high level of interest in EC by health center staff along with a clear understanding of how to administer the treatment and indications for its use. The DOH, settlement officials, and women’s groups have begun informing the community of the comprehensive RH services, including EC, through a variety of community outreach approaches to increase demand for services. The near universal availability of emergency contraceptive pills is largely due to the fact that USAID-supplied oral contraceptives (OCs) in Nepal and Government of India-supplied OCs in India provide the health centers with OC formulations which are appropriate for EC. For more information on the Tibetan Refugees Reproductive Health Project:

Contact: Department of Health

Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamsala 176215

District Kangra H.P. India

Tel: (91) 1892-22718

Fax: (91) 1892-24957

Email: health@tcrclinux.tibdsala.org.in

Thanks to a change negotiated by the Mexico Consortium for Emergency Contraception, medical students from the National Autonomous University of Mexico now receive mandatory training in EC during their first year, as well as additional training in the refresher course they take just before leaving school to start their practical training. Other medical schools may soon follow suit.

Contact: Rafaella Schiavon

The Population Council

Apartado Postal 105-152

11560 Mexico, D.F., Mexico

Tel: (011) (52) (5)659-8541 or 8537

Fax: (011) (52) (5)554-1226

A two-day meeting on emergency contraception brought together a wide range of participants, including prominent family planning managers, donors, policy makers, researchers and women’s health advocates to learn about the method from international technical experts and discuss its potential future role in Bangladesh. By the end of the meeting, a consensus had been reached that the method is suitable for introduction in Bangladesh. Government representatives as well as members of the National Technical Advisory Committee agreed to raise the issue at the National Technical Advisory meeting, and proposed that the method be added to the national family planning program.

Contact: Dr. Nahid Chowdhury

The Population Council

P.O. Box 6016, Gulshan

Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh

Tel: (880-2) 881-227

Fax: (880-2) 883-127

Email: nahid@popcouncil.bangla.net

Led by Population Council staff in Mexico and their local partners from IMIFAP, local media have featured emergency contraception stories several times during the last few months. The subject has been reported on Hola Mexico, a national television news magazine, as well as on several talk shows and a television soap opera.

Contact: Ricardo Vernon or

Silivia Llaguno

The Population Council

Apartado Postal 105-152

11560 Mexico, D.F., Mexico

Tel: (011) (52) (5)659-8541 or 8537

Fax: (011) (52) (5)554-1226

Email: rvernon@planeta.apc.org

The Nigeria Consortium on Emergency Contraception (NCEC) comprises representatives from the Society for Family Health (affiliated with PSI), Pathfinder, PPFN and from the following teaching hospitals around the country: Ogun State University, Lagos University, Jos University and University Hospital. At a meeting in early February, the NCEC met to develop the following strategies: (1) social marketing to be led by SFH/PSI; (2) training to be led by Pathfinder (and to include training of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, PMS attendants, TBAs, etc. and inclusion of modules on ECP in the training curriculum of medical and para-medical students); and (3) advocacy to the government and its agents to be undertaken by all NCEC members.

A Dissemination Seminar on a national EC study was held on March 11-12, with NCEC members attending a pre-workshop meeting on March 10. Discussions were held on the programmatic and policy implications of the study findings and recommendations were made for the final report.

Contact: Tim McLellan

Society for Family Health

Awaye House (Suite 6), 2^nd Floor

Lagos/Badagry Road, Orile Iganmu

Lagos, Nigeria

Cellular Tel: (234) (90) 401-344

Tel/Fax: (234) (1) 585-0539

Email: 107667.2640@compuserve.com

As part of a project to train pharmacists to distribute EC under a physician’s protocol, over 300 pharmacists have been trained at nine training sessions. There has also been considerable interest from outside the designated project area in western Washington. To address the training demand in eastern Washington, the Washington State Pharmacists Association presented (with its own resources) a very well-attended training in Spokane.

Presently 70 pharmacies have collaborative agreements for ECPs on file with the Washington State Board of Pharmacy (WSBP) and are linked to the Emergency Contraception Hotline. The number of collaborative agreements submitted to the Board is increasing, with one or two coming into the WSBP daily.

The response from women has been equally remarkable. Approximately 500 prescriptions were written during the month after the project media launch. One pharmacy chain reported filling 141 ECP prescriptions during the period 2/22/98-3/16/98, compared with 7 prescriptions for the previous almost 2 months (1/1/98-2/21/98). Individual pharmacies (particularly those open until midnight or 24 hours) are reporting that they fill as many as 11 prescriptions on a weekend day. This very high uptake demonstrates a significant previously unmet need.

The number of telephone calls to the Hotline (1-888-NOT-2-LATE) increased significantly since news of the project began circulating in the media. According to the Reproductive Health Technology Project that runs the Hotline, the total number of calls from the project area for the month of March was 1,287, a daily average of more than 40 calls. This is a great increase over the 116 calls over the month of January.

The project media launch, which took place on February 25, resulted in a great deal of attention from the media. The broadcast media, including CBS Good Morning, National Public Radio, and CNN, have aired over 120 stories nationwide on this project to date. A news story on PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer also is scheduled for late April. News stories about the project were covered in various newspapers throughout Washington State and in a number of other states as well, through the press wire services. Interest continues to be high, with more feature stories planned on public television as well as articles in professional journals.

Contact: Jane Hutchings

PATH

4 Nickerson Street

Seattle, WA 98109

Tel: (206) 285-3500

Fax: (206) 285-6619

Email: jhutchings@path.org

About 50 distinguished Egyptian MDs and Senior government officials attended a meeting organized by the Population Council in Cairo, at which Charlotte Ellertson gave a presentation. As a follow-up to this meeting the Population Council’s operations research staff with local collaborators brainstormed a list of potential OR studies. These proposed studies were approved by the senior undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Population and await funding. This demonstrates that a short and highly targeted meeting has been effective in garnering support for pursuing operations research on EC, stimulating local policy-makers’ thoughts about approaches to introducing EC, and laying the groundwork for introducing the method into the Egyptian family planning program.

Contact: Dale Huntington, Ph.D.

The Population Council

APPRENDE, a Venezuelan NGO started by Alan Lambert (who also founded and operates PROSALUD), held an EC Symposium in mid-March in conjunction with the XVI National Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Several international EC specialists addressed the Symposium. The 1500 doctors attending the Congress received a brochure about EC and POSTINOR prepared by APPRENDE and a Guide for Practitioners for EC use (similar to a document prepared by the EC Consortium). The symposium’s success was highlighted by 676 doctors registering to participate in APPRENDE’s planned EC telephone service that will link providers with women seeking EC and 695 doctors signing a letter to the Ministry of Health supporting the registration of POSTINOR-2 in Venezuela. Of important note is that two representatives of the National Institute of Hygiene -- from which support for product registration is critical -- indicated they understand the importance of EC and see no reason that POSTINOR-2 should not be registered in Venezuela.

Contact: Alan Lambert

APPRENDE

Torre Findo Comun, Av. Andres Bello

Esql Callejon Dan Fidel de al Urb. Sarria

Piso 13, Ofc. 13-B

La Candelaira

Caracas, Venezuela

Tel: (582) 574-0549

A workshop to be held in Ecuador has been scheduled for April 27,28 and 29, jointly organized by CEMOPLAF and the Population Council’s INOPAL III project. In order to provide further impetus to the introduction of emergency contraception in Latin America, this workshop will bring together those who have worked in the last few years on the topic and those who are interested in further promoting it. The general objective will be to help disseminate knowledge and use of emergency contraception in Latin America both among service providers and among potential users. The target audience is individuals and organizations who are not currently working on emergency contraception, but have an interest on doing so. Organizations currently running EC projects will share with them the experiences that have been gleaned and the materials that have been developed in the different projects that the Population Council and others have implemented in the last few years in Brazil, Ecuador and Mexico.

Contact: Ricardo Vernon

The Population Council

Apartado Postal 105-152

11560 Mexico, D.F., Mexico

Tel: (011)(52)(5) 659-8541 or 8537

Fax: (011)(52)(5) 554-1226

Email: rvernon@planeta.apc.org

The new booklet, Emergency Contraception: Client Materials for Diverse Audiences, produced by PATH and the Northwest Emergency Contraception Coalition (NWECC) in Seattle, Washington, is hot off the press and ready for distribution. The booklet was funded with grants from the Horizons Foundation; the John Merck Fund; and the United States Public Health Service, Region X.

The NWECC is a coalition of local nonprofit health agencies in the Seattle-King County area of Washington whose mission is to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and the need for induced abortions in the Northwest through increased awareness of, access to, and appropriate use of emergency contraception.

The purpose of the booklet is to help medical providers improve women's awareness of emergency contraception and access to EC services. The booklet contains Instructions for Use and a one-page, double-sided prototype brochure in English and nine other languages for women who speak Amharic, Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The information in these languages was carefully pretested with women in Seattle and Washington D.C. who speak these languages as their first language. These brochures were designed to be easily reproduced by photocopying or printing. The booklet also contains consent forms in English and Spanish, a telephone screening protocol, and a prescription blank that can be photocopied or adapted as needed.

Due to limited funding for printing, the priority for initial distribution of the booklet will be Seattle-King County, Washington. If additional funds are procured, the booklet will be reprinted and distributed more broadly throughout the United States. An on-line version of selected languages will be available on the World Wide Web (http://www.path.org) for easy adaptation in late March, 1998.

The NWECC hopes that providers will find the emergency contraception materials helpful in providing comprehensive care to their clients. They would be very interested in getting feedback regarding the use of the brochures and would appreciate receiving copies of materials that providers adapt for their client populations.

Contact: Barb Crook, Program Officer

PATH

4 Nickerson St.

Seattle, Washington 98109-1699. USA

Tel: (206) 285-3500

Fax: (206) 285-6619

http://www.path.org

FHI is currently in the process of developing a slide and lecture module specifically on EC.

Contact: Nina Frankel

Instructional Design Associate

Family Health International

P.O. Box 13950

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA

Tel: (919) 544.7040

Fax: (919) 544.7261

Email: nfrankel@fhi.org

The Emergency Contraception Pilot Project conducted by Kaiser Permanente of San Diego has developed the ECP Tool Box, primarily for staff training tool but with some aspects suitable for patient education. A video called: Once a Secret, Now an Option! illustrates a couple’s experience after having discovered they have had unprotected sex to explains past and current barriers to use of EC, social consequences of and facts about unintended pregnancy, what EC is, mode of action, efficacy, side effects, etc. The video will include depictions of inappropriate treatment of the couple, and then demonstrate interaction with screening, prescribing and dispensing that is appropriate. Along with the video will be slides for presenters, written materials, an outline, objectives, a posttest (so the training can be used for Continuing Education Units) The video will be completed shortly and we hope to make the whole package available for around $50.00.

Contact: Debbie Postlethwaite

Kaiser Permanente

10992 San Diego Mission Road, 3rd Floor

OB Support Services

San Diego, CA 92108

Tel: (619) 641-4404

Email: debbie.postlethwaite@kp.org

Thanks to funding from USAID, through the Population Council’s INOPAL III project, copies of the Consortium’s Spanish Language EC packet are again available. This packet contains a training curriculum, sample client brochures, a medical guide, answers to common questions about EC, guidelines for introduction, and a list of select references. Copies are available from any of the Consortium members.

APPRENDE conducted a survey in 1997 to evaluate practices and attitudes toward family planning, both currently available and new methods of contraception. Nested within the questionnaire was a module relating to EC. A total of 53 doctors (31 men and 22 women) were interviewed. Regarding the sample population: (a) average number of years practicing was 17.5; (b) 100% offered family planning services; © average time spent with new patients was 24.7 minutes. Findings from the EC module include:

92.5% had heard of EC (Yuzpe method)

62% stated that they had already recommended the Yuzpe method)

85% stated that they would recommend the Yuzpe method in the future

The EC module results also indicated that (1) those doctors already recommending EC were more likely to have received prior training and felt they had sufficient training in the provision and prescription of contraceptives; and (2) those doctors who would recommend EC in the future had more than 15 years of family planning service; had prescribed EC previously and had heard about EC.

As a result of these findings, APPRENDE hopes to expand training opportunities for gynecologists, improve availability of up-to-date information; disseminate information to the general public; and provide an 800-contraceptive phone line to link doctors an potential clients.

Contact: Alan Lambert

APPRENDE

Torre Findo Comun, Av. Andres Bello

Esql Callejon Dan Fidel de al Urb. Sarria

Piso 13, Ofc. 13-B

La Candelaira

Caracas, Venezuela

Tel: (582) 574-0549

In 1996, the Ministry of Health in Ghana included emergency contraception (EC) in its newly issued National Reproductive Health Service Policy and Standards. Family Health International conducted a short survey in the summer of 1997 to evaluate health providers' knowledge of EC. Of 325 providers interviewed, about one-third (34%) had heard of EC. No provider had sufficient knowledge to prescribe EC correctly. A well-coordinated training of providers will have to precede a successful introduction of EC in Ghana. Moreover, local experts believe that a dedicated product, properly labeled, will be critical in successfully introducing EC in a country like Ghana, where provider knowledge is low.

Contact: Markus Steiner

Family Health International

P.O. Box 13950

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA

Tel: (919) 544-7040

Fax: (919) 544-7261

Email: Msteiner@FHI.org

FHI is conducting a multicenter US comparative trial of five spermicides funded by the NIH. Earlier, NIH agreed that all participants in this trial should be given one package of ECPs to keep at home in case of need. This decision was later revoked. However, participants will be specifically counseled about ECPs and may obtain them free of charge from the study sites.

Contact: Elizabeth Raymond, M.D.

Family Health International (see above)

Email: eraymond@fhi.org

This study, which selected a large and diversified sample in both rural and urban communities in Enugu, Ibadan, Kaduna and Bauchi, surveyed 2393 sexually active women aged 15-49 and 446 health care providers (including pharmacists, nurses, private and government doctors, market men and women now selling oral contraceptives and community health extension workers). Some of the study findings are highlighted below.

Responses from Nigerian women (aged 15-49, with mean age of 27.9) yielded the following findings:

26.3% of women who had ever been pregnant had experienced unwanted pregnancy.

46.4% of women who had experienced unwanted pregnancy had attempted abortion.

21.6% of women who had ever used a condom reported having experienced condom breakage.

47.9% of women who had ever used oral contraceptives reported having forgotten to take pill.

43.7% of total women interviewed reported their intent to use any EC method in the future.

Additional analysis of the study findings is underway. The final report should be available for distribution in June or July 1998.

Contact: Tim McLellan

Society for Family Health

Awaye House (Suite 6), 2^nd Floor

Lagos/Badagry Road, Orile Iganmu

Lagos, Nigeria

Cellular Tel: (234) (90) 401-344

Tel/Fax: (234) (1) 585-0539

Email: 107667.2640@compuserve.com

A study is underway to evaluate the effects of the Yuzpe regimen on biochemical markers of uterine receptivity, such as integrins. Nineteen women using non-hormonal contraception participated for two menstrual cycles: one control cycle, and one treatment cycle, in which they ingested the regimen on the day LH was first detected in the urine. We expect to complete the analysis within the next few months.

Contact: Elizabeth Raymond, M.D.

Family Health International (see above)

The Population Council, in partnership with clinics in the United States and Great Britain, is undertaking a study to examine several alternatives to the Yuzpe regiment. This study seeks to answer the following questions:

Can a wider range of currently available OCs be used effectively for EC?

Is the second dose necessary for EC to be effective?

Can the Yuzpe regimen be used effectively between 72 and 120 hours after unprotected intercourse?

Contact: Charlotte Ellertson, Ph.D.

The Population Council

Apartado Postal 105-152

11560 Mexico, D.F., Mexico

Tel: (011)(52)(5) 659-8541 or 8537

Fax: (011)(52)(5) 554-1226

Email:cellertson@popcouncil.org

In this study, women who are not in need of EC are randomly assigned to one of three groups: EC alone, EC preceded by a single dose of the antiemetic drug meclizine, or EC preceded by a single dose of a placebo. During the 48 hours after taking the drugs, participants complete three questionnaires, which ask about nausea, vomiting, and other side effects. About 60% of the required participants have completed the study. We hope to have results by the fall.

Contact: Elizabeth Raymond (M.D.)

Family Health International (see above)

A study is being conducted by Dr. Marta Durand, a former FHI Fellow, in Mexico, evaluates the effect of the levonorgestrel regimen of EC on ovulation, endometrial histology, markers of endometrial receptivity, and luteal phase progesterone levels. The treatment is given at three different times in the cycle. About 40% of the participants have completed the study so far.

Contact: Elizabeth Raymond, M.D.

Family Health International (see above)