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pubmed:otherAbstract |
PIP: A study supported by the World Health Organization's Task Force on Postovulatory Methods of Fertility Control compared the efficacy of the Yuzpe and levonorgestrel-only methods of emergency contraception (EC). Enrolled in this double-blind, randomized trial were 1998 women from 21 centers around the world who requested EC within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. The pregnancy rate was 1.1% for levonorgestrel alone and 3.2% for the combined ethinyl estradiol-levonorgestrel regimen. The crude relative risk of pregnancy was 0.36 (95% confidence interval, 0.18-0.70) for levonorgestrel compared with the Yuzpe regimen. The former method prevented 85% of expected pregnancies, while the latter prevented only 57%. Finally, side effects such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and fatigue were significantly less common in the levonorgestrel group. Although these findings document the superiority of the levonorgestrel regimen for EC, the 0.75 mg tablets are not currently manufactured in the US.
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