KNOWELDGE ON EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS IN BANGALORE, KARNATAKA

Emergency contraception (EC) refers to methods that women can use to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse, method failure or incorrect use. Unwanted pregnancy followed by unsafe abortion can be avoided by using different contraceptive methods including emergency contraceptives. Inadequate awareness of EC leads to its misuse among the youth, as it may lead to avoidance of condoms which places them at risk for STIs/HIV. The objective of this study is to assess knowledge about emergency contraceptives among M.B.B.S. students. This is a cross-sectional study. Data was collected from Second year medical students of Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute, Bangalore using Pre-tested semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. The total number of participants was 86 out of this females were 48.8% (42). 97.6% (84) participants heard about EC, 50% (43) said their source of information about EC is health professionals and 58.2% (50) knew EC to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. There is a lack of complete awareness about EC among studied population. As they are the health care providers in future, their knowledge regarding EC will be useful in educating public especially youth.