In November 2013, two American clinical studies questioned the effectiveness of the emergency contraceptive Norlevo in overweight women. According to these studies, the morning after pill was less effective in women over 75kg and completely ineffective in women over 80kg.
The European Medicines Agency has therefore decided to reconsider emergency contraceptives containing levonorgestrel or ulipristal acetate (commonly called morning-after pills). In its conclusions, published yesterday, she says emergency contraceptives can continue to be used in women regardless of their weight because the benefits are considered to outweigh the risks.
Emergency contraceptives should be taken as soon as possible
After evaluating all the available data on the effectiveness of emergency contraceptives, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) considered that the available data are too limited and not strong enough to conclude with certainty that the contraceptive effect is reduced according to the increase in body weight. These recommendations will now be transmitted to the European Commission, which will take a decision valid in all the countries of the European Union.
The CHMP takes this opportunity to recall that, to be sure of their effectiveness, emergency contraceptives must be taken as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. They should not be used as an occasional “rescue” method, as they do not work as well as regular contraceptive methods, like the pill.
