(132) Characterizing Women in Thailand Who Seek Emergency Contraceptive Care

Characterizing Women in Thailand Who Seek Emergency Contraceptive Care

Leana C. Pustam¹; Rana Hanna¹; Jiayu Li²; Lynette Menezes³; Sutira Uaamnuichai⁴; Unnop Jaisamrarn⁴

1. Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States


2. School of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand


3. Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States


4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

Unintended pregnancies are commonly a result of misuse or lack of contraception, possibly due to lack of knowledge on proper use of contraception, lack of access and availability among others. In east and southeast Asia, the unintended pregnancy rate among women is high. We aimed to characterize the profile of women in Thailand who seek emergency contraceptive (EC) care after unprotected sex and explore the factors associated with previous EC using behavior.

Data on 271 women who sought EC care by calling a phone line from June 7, 2022 to May 30, 2023 were extracted from a secure database at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH) in Bangkok, Thailand after approval from the University of South Florida and KCMH institutional ethics committees. Data collected included demographic information, obstetric and gynecologic history, and sexual practices. Data were analyzed using STATA version 18.0. Frequency and proportion were reported for categorical data and median and interquartile range (IQR) for continuous data. A multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine factors associated with previous EC use.

Among the 271 women, median age was 25 years (IQR: 21-31). Ninety-eight women (36.16%) reported previous EC use; of these, 69 (70.41%) used EC on the day of unprotected sex. Single or widowed women were more likely to report previous EC use, with an adjusted OR of 2.89 (95% CI: 1.09-7.32, p=0.032). In contrast, women reporting a previous pregnancy and those currently using contraception were less likely to report previous EC usage, with adjusted ORs of 0.43 (95% CI: 0.19-0.98, p=0.044) and 0.41 (95% CI: 0.20-0.85, p=0.016), respectively.

Our findings indicate that various factors influence emergency contraceptive seeking behavior. This study is limited by self-reported data, but its strengths include a focus on vulnerable populations and comprehensive demographic data. These insights underscore the need for targeted initiatives to enhance reproductive health knowledge, particularly contraceptive efficacy.