When you think of your options regarding contraception you usually think of the pill – whether its the new one that let’s you go period-free or a more traditional one –  condoms and maybe the IUD and injectables.

And when you think of new contraceptive trends you may think of the patch or ring.  So, you probably wouldn’t guess the method that is increasingly popular among women in the United States is actually emergency contraception.  Also, known as “the morning after pill” and by brand names like Plan B, Postinor 1 and 2, and NorLevo, emergency contraception (EC) is taken up to 3 days after unprotected sex for maximum effectiveness.

EC was introduced in the States in the late 1990’s and at the time only 1 percent of women said they had ever tried them. Today, more than 11% of American women report having ever used the method.  This is triple the proportion of women who said they had used EC in the early 2000’s.

Introduced as an option to be used when contraception fails (read broken condom) or after unprotected sex (read the throes of passion got the best of you), most women report they have used EC only once or twice.  Women between 20 – 24 years are the most likely to have used EC; almost one in 4 women report using EC. For the full article click here. For more on emergency contraceptive by SuzyKnew go here.

The increasing popularity of the method may be a  result of improved access. You can get EC at a pharmacy without a prescription if you’re 17 years old. Also, advertising in women’s magazines, social media, etc may put this method increasingly in women’s hands.

Whatever the reason, it’s good to see women exploring their choices when it comes to contraception.