THURSDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) launched a national campaign this week at their annual meeting in Washington, D.C., to educate women about emergency contraception. The "Ask me" campaign offers posters for medical offices and buttons physicians can wear to jump-start doctor-patient discussions. ACOG encourages its members to provide advance prescriptions for emergency contraception to patients.
"Through the 'Ask me' campaign, we're optimistic that our specialty's proactive approach -- by promoting advance prescriptions for emergency contraception -- will improve wider access and greater usage of emergency contraception," ACOG president Michael T. Mennuti, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said in a statement. "Unplanned pregnancy is a major public health issue in the U.S. As ob-gyns, it's our mission to advocate for, protect, and advance women's health, and that's really what this campaign is about."
Almost half (49 percent) of this country's annual 6 million pregnancies are unplanned. Improved access to emergency contraception could reduce unwanted pregnancy rates and abortion by 50 percent, according to ACOG.
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