When Something Other Than Plan B Is Necessary

For women weighing >75 kg, levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pills were minimally effective.

Emergency contraceptive (EC) pills may be more likely to fail in women who are obese. Given that more people know their weight than their body-mass index (BMI), industry-funded researchers further examined data from two large randomized, controlled trials (1731 participants) to determine whether EC failure was better predicted by women's weight or BMI.

Regardless of BMI, women who weighed <75 kg (165 lb) had EC failure rates <2%, while women weighing >75 kg had failure rates approaching 6%.

Reviewing Author

Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, MD, MS

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPlanned Parenthood Federation of America

Grant/Research SupportSociety of Family Planning; California Department of Public Health Tobacco Control Program

Editorial BoardsContraception; Journal of General Internal Medicine

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCouncil Member, Society of General Internal Medicine