Emergency contraception, efficacy and public health impact.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Emergency contraception in the past two decades had been proven to be effective and well tolerated. Counseling and advance provision and prescription of emergency contraception have been embraced by professional organizations in practice guidelines for its potential to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions. Has emergency contraception lived up to that promise? RECENT FINDINGS: Mifepristone (not available in the USA) is the agent of choice. Emergency contraception has not reduced the number of unintended pregnancies. Acceptance by healthcare providers and the public has not been optimal, and multiple financial and healthcare system barriers to use emergency contraception continue to exist. The public health impact of emergency contraception has been disappointing. SUMMARY: Although emergency contraception may continue to be an important component of contraceptive practice, only increased access to more effective methods of contraception will change unintended pregnancy rates. The use of mifepristone for emergency contraception in the USA must be considered.

Preliminary report of a gas conditioner to improve operational reliability of cryotherapy in developing countries.

BACKGROUND: Cryotherapy is a safe, affordable, and effective method of treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. In some low-resource settings, environmental conditions or qualities of the refrigerant gas can lead to blockage of cryotherapy equipment, terminating treatment. A prototype of a gas conditioner to prevent operational failure was designed, built, and field tested. METHODS: The prototype conditioner device consists of an expansion chamber that filters and dries the refrigerant gas. Users in Peru and Kenya reported on their experience with the prototype conditioner. In Ghana, simulated cryotherapy procedures were used to test the effects of the prototype conditioner, as well as the commonly used "cough technique." RESULTS: Anecdotal reports from field use of the device were favorable. During simulated cryotherapy, the prevalence of blockage during freezing were 0% (0/25) with the device alone, 23.3% (7/30) with the cough technique alone, 5.9% (1/17) with both, and 55.2% (16/29) with neither (Pearson's Chi square = 26.6, df = 3, p < 0.001 (comparison amongst all groups)). CONCLUSION: This prototype design of a cryotherapy gas conditioner is a potential solution for low-resource settings that are experiencing cryotherapy device malfunction.