Emergency contraception or the "Morning After Pill" has been found to be more effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies when paired with a particular painkiller.
Experts found that the drug levonorgestrel (morning after pill) was 95% effective at preventing pregnancy when taken with the anti-inflammatory piroxicam, a drug commonly used to treat pain from arthritis. In comparison, taking levonorgestrel on its own was found to be only 63% effective in preventing conception.
The study, conducted by sexual health experts in Hong Kong and Sweden, published its findings in the Lancet Medical Journal on Wednesday.
The research involved 860 women, who accessed levonorgetsrel as emergency contraception between 2018 and 12022. A total of 418 women were given the morning after pill alongside 40mg of piroxicam, while the other 418 were given the emergency contraception along with a placebo drug. The combination of drugs prevented 95% of pregnancies, while the emergency contraception drug alone only had a 63% success rate in preventing pregnancy.
Levonorgestrel is one of two drugs used globally as emergency contraception. The second drug, ulipristal acetate, is used in fewer countries. Both drugs attempt to prevent pregnancy by delaying ovulation. If a woman has already ovulated, neither drug is effective.
While levonorgestrel is also less effective the later it is taken after unprotected sex, the new study still shows promise for the future of women's health. Dr Janet Barter, President of the Faculty of Sexual Health and Reproductive Healthcare in the UK told the Guardian that the study "has the potential to improve the efficacy of emergency contraception, which is very exciting."
Co-author of the study, Dr Sue Lo also told the news outlet that finding out there is a widely available medication which increases levonorgestrel's efficacy is "really exciting". "Women can take either of the morning after pills to avoid a pregnancy when they have had sex without contraception or when their contraception has failed, such as when a condom breaks," she said.
The repercussions of the study remain to be seen, as more research is needed. Dr Erica Cahill, from Stanford University told the Guardian that the study's findings might not apply to women everywhere, as all the women in the study were Asian and generally weighed less than 70kg.
