Room for improvement
British teenagers have had a rough ride in the past week. A survey revealed that they are more likely than their peers in other European countries to be drunk, to be sexually active at a younger age and to be involved in brawls. However, as most people who have close dealings with teenagers will aver, most of them are as aware of the law and risky behaviour as teenagers have ever been.
That does not mean that a minority of teenagers do not need support and
protection —
from themselves and their peers — and the one area where community
pharmacists in particular can have impact is in helping prevent teenage
pregnancies. Although saying “no” to sex may be the only
desirable option in some people’s eyes, in the real world teenagers
have sex, they catch sexually transmitted infections, and teenage girls
become pregnant. For some of these girls, motherhood is one of the few
attainable ambitions that they have, their families and schools one way
or another having let them down.
Improved advice and access to effective methods of contraception can
help young people who are sexually active but do not want the burden
of pregnancy and parenthood. When all else fails, emergency hormonal
contraception is safe and effective and, compared with termination, a
far better option.
The question is whether or not it is as accessible as it could be. Although
giving EHC the status of a pharmacy medicine — now nearly six years
ago — has done a great deal to improve general access, with more
women choosing a pharmacy than other outlets for obtaining supplies,
there is still room for improvement.
It is, therefore, apposite that, in the week when the Government set
out its plans for a new sexual health campaign aimed at 18- to 24-year-olds
(due to be announced after The Journal went to press), our Broad
spectrum article examines the evidence to support immediate access to EHC and
argues the case for EHC to be bought in advance and kept in the bathroom
cabinet — for use in a genuine emergency, when it is most effective.
This is, in fact, echoing the fpa (formerly known as the Family Planning
Association), which put forward a similar argument over two years ago.
But that will not necessarily help the most vulnerable teenage girls — especially
those without proper family and financial support. Patient group directions
targeted at this group are one way forward because, although the price
of over-the-counter EHC has now dropped since it was first introduced,
its cost may still be a barrier to these girls obtaining essential treatment.
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