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By stocking and dispensing Plan B® emergency contraception (EC), your Wal-Mart store will give women in our community a safe, effective second chance to prevent pregnancy. Pharmacists are a critical link between EC and the women who need it. Now that an over-the-counter form of EC is available to adults, many more Americans are turning to their pharmacy for information and services about this back-up birth control method. Women expect their local Wal-Mart pharmacy not only to stock EC, but to dispense EC, and in the case of teens, expect their Plan B prescriptions will be filled. What is Emergency Contraception? - A safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. - EC is available i to women 18 and older at the pharmacy. Women younger than 18 need a prescription from their doctor or other health care provider. - Can be taken up to 5 days after sex, however the sooner EC is used, the more effective it is. - Contains the same active ingredients as hormonal contraceptives. - EC is NOT the abortion pill or RU-486. EC cannot interrupt an established pregnancy. - EC works by delaying or inhibiting ovulation, inhibiting fertilization, or preventing implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus. - Products: (1) Plan B® (progestin-only) or (2) High doses of regular oral contraceptives. Emergency Contraception Resources for Pharmacists Emergency Contraception: The Pharmacist’s Role Continuing Education for pharmacists http://www.pharmacist.com/pdf/emer_contra.pdf Emergency Contraception Pharmacy Program Emergency Contraception Website On or around the 2007 Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Activism – March 20 - more than 100 national and local medical organizations and women’s health advocacy groups are uniting to educate women, pharmacists, and health care providers about emergency contraception. |