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Initiative uses pill to thwart teen pregnancies With 52 births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19, South Carolina’s teen birth rate is 10 points higher than the national average, according to the 2006 National Vital Statistics Report, completed by the Center for Disease Control. To counter this trend, the South Carolina Emergency Contraception Initiative (SCECI) launched a statewide public awareness campaign in 2006.   SCECI is a multi-year commitment to create public awareness, initially targeting the greater metropolitan Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg and Charleston markets.   “By developing a broad-based statewide coalition of informed health care providers, advocates and consumers, we hope to significantly decrease the number of unwanted pregnancies among young women under age 25 over the next few years,” said Bonnie Adams, executive director of New Morning Foundation.   SCECI, a partnership of New Morning Foundation, a grant-making organization headquartered in Columbia, and Advocates for Youth, a Washington, D.C.-based teen health policy group, seek to educate young women about the availability of Plan B. In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved over-the-counter sales of the emergency birth control pill, Plan B, to persons 18 years of age and older. People younger than 18 years must obtain a prescription from a health care provider.   Through an application process, SCECI has screened and selected Students for Reproductive Health and Freedom at MUSC to be one of eight community and college based groups to receive seed grants.   “I think it’s fabulous that Plan B is available over the counter, though I would still encourage doctors to provide advanced prescriptions to women under the age of 18 since they’re not available over the counter,” said Ashlyn Savage, M.D., assistant professor, Obstetrics-Gynecology. “Awareness of the availability of emergency contraception is the most important component of having people use this option more effectively.”   According to a study provided by the University of South Carolina’s Center for Health Services and Policy Research, the total cost associated with teen child-bearing to Charleston County taxpayers was $156 million in 2004. The study also reported that teen mothers have more pregnancy-related complications, and that babies born to teen mothers are more likely to be low birth weight.   Plan B, known as the morning after pill, emergency contraception or EC, is 89-percent effective at preventing pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. A concentrated dose of the same hormones found in regular birth control pills, Plan B works by delaying or preventing the release of an egg. It may also prevent fertilization or may possibly prevent implantation. Research indicates that Plan B will not harm an existing pregnancy. Access to Plan B is supported by the American Medical Association, the Society for Adolescent Medicine, FDA and other professional medical associations.   “The initiative is an excellent idea as all women of reproductive age are at risk for unplanned pregnancies,” said Laura Stickler, M.D., Obstetrics-Gynecology. “Plan B is a safe and effective option to prevent pregnancy in cases of failed contraceptive methods, episodes of unprotected intercourse and sexual assaults. The biggest barrier to access is lack of knowledge, and physicians can increase awareness among their patients. Women should remember that this is not a substitute for other contraceptive methods as other methods are more effective, and it does not protect against STDs.”   According to a survey of 18-24 year old females, conducted by Crantford and Associates in 2005, 60 percent of young women said they were not aware of the availability of Plan B, nor did they know how to attain it.   “Sexually active females and males between the ages of 16 and 24 often lack medically accurate information about their contraceptive options. The initiative hopes to make as many as possible aware of Plan B, which is a responsible option when there has been unprotected, unplanned or unwanted intercourse,” said Adams.   For more information on the South Carolina EC Initiative and the availability of Plan B in South Carolina, visit http://www.morningafterinfo.org.     Friday, March 2, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.