After the FDA approved the first over-the-counter emergency contraception in 2006, emergency department visits for the medication decreased by 96% over the next 14 years, according to a new study.
Hospitals also charged $7.2 million less because of the reduction in visits related to the morning-after pill.
From 2006 to 2020, emergency departments recorded about 48,000 visits related to emergency contraception, according to research published Jan. 26 in JAMA. After the medication entered the U.S. market, ED encounters decreased from about 17,000 to 660, and hospital charges fell from $7.61 million to about $385,900, or 95%.
This is the first study to analyze emergency contraception-related ED utilization with policy changes, and it comes at a time when the White House is working to secure access to reproductive medicines.
"Increasingly restrictive abortion access will likely drive [emergency contraception] demand to prevent unintended pregnancy," the researchers said in conclusion, which can increase admissions and strains on the healthcare industry.