Morning After Pill History

The "morning after" pill is the latest form of emergency contraception, which is defined as contraception practiced after sex in a situation where pregnancy may occur. In the past, emergency contraception required a visit to the doctor. Current practice, often referred to as "the morning after pill," is much easier than previous methods.

Historical Emergency Contraception

• Early emergency contraception included the use of Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) that could be inserted up to five days after sex to prevent pregnancy with up to a 99 percent effectiveness rate. IUDs could then be left in place as a standard contraceptive. The difficulty and timing of IUD insertion required a visit to the doctor's office, and thus limited their availability to many women for emergency contraception.

Early Use of Hormones for Emergency Contraception

• Emergency contraception via birth control pills was possible before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of the "morning after" pills. Doctors could prescribe large doses of female hormones that had the exact same effect as the current FDA-approved regimen. The first case of hormonally induced emergency contraception was in the 1960s, and was performed to prevent a pregnancy in the case of a rape. Unapproved use of standard contraceptives and hormones as emergency contraception continued until the approval of a specific regimen by the FDA in 1997.

Early Approvals of Hormonal Emergency Contraception

• The first formal hormonally based emergency contraception was named after the Canadian professor who published early studies in the field in 1974, A. Albert Yuzpe. The Yuzpe regimen was first approved by the U.K., Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand. A different regimen that relies on a single pill was approved in many Eastern European countries in the early 1990s.

U.S.-Approved Hormonal Emergency Contraception

• After the 1997 FDA approval, it became much easier for doctors to prescribe emergency contraception for patients. The term "morning after pill" is a misnomer, as each treatment involves several pills and can be effective several days after the "morning after." Both the more effective, but more complicated, Yuzpe regimen was approved as well as the easier to administer single pill used in Eastern Europe.

Controversies Over Emergency Contraception Pills

• Many people incorrectly believe that emergency contraception is a form of abortion. Emergency contraception will not terminate an established pregnancy, and as such loses its effectiveness over time. This misunderstanding of its nature has resulted in American women having more difficulty accessing emergency contraception.