{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,18]],"date-time":"2025-11-18T11:58:56Z","timestamp":1763467136407,"version":"3.45.0"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,18]],"date-time":"2025-11-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763424000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Clinics and Practice"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Emergency contraception (EC), also known as postcoital contraception, is a method used to prevent an unintended pregnancy following unprotected or inadequately protected sexual intercourse. The available options include emergency contraceptive pills or the insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD). Emergency contraception pills contain either levonorgestrel (a single 1.5 mg dose, effective within 72 h) or ulipristal acetate (a single 30 mg dose, effective within 120 h), both of which are most effective when taken as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. Another highly effective option is the insertion of a copper or levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device, although IUDs are not registered for EC use in all countries. The aims of this cross-sectional, comparative, observational study were to collect data on the emergency contraception methods used by adolescent girls and young women to examine their association with various factors, such as religious beliefs, and to evaluate the effectiveness of different emergency contraception methods, including hormonal options and intrauterine devices. Methods: Data were collected from 240 women who attended our Family Planning Clinic using a structured questionnaire that included items on their demographic characteristics, religious beliefs, medical history, lifestyle factors, contraceptive use and side effects, prior use of emergency contraception, method selected, and reasons for seeking emergency contraception. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, comparisons between religious groups were conducted using chi-square tests, and factors related to the timing of emergency contraceptive use were investigated using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results: Most of the reasons for emergency contraception use did not differ significantly between Christian and Muslim participants. However, Christians were significantly more likely to use emergency contraception due to missed contraceptive doses (20.9% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.004) or the failure to take a progesterone-only pill (19.1% vs. 3.3%, p = 0.001). Levonorgestrel was the most frequently used method in both groups (48.9% of Christians vs. 60% of Muslims, p = 0.132), followed by ulipristal acetate (30.9% vs. 40%, p = 0.180). Notably, 18.5% of Christian participants used an intrauterine device (IUD) for emergency contraception, while no Muslim participants reported IUD use (p &lt; 0.001), indicating a significant difference potentially influenced by cultural or religious factors. Conclusions: Both religious and individual sociodemographic factors affect not only the choice of emergency contraception but also the urgency with which the emergency contraception is used. Interventions aimed at improving contraception education, addressing partner-related challenges, and promoting timely access could improve reproductive health outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/clinpract15110212","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,18]],"date-time":"2025-11-18T11:05:31Z","timestamp":1763463931000},"page":"212","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Use and Effectiveness of Different Emergency Contraception Methods Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in a Greek Clinic: A Cross-Sectional, Comparative, Observational Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Athanasia","family":"Chatzilazarou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-4874-7007","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christina","family":"Pagkaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anastasia","family":"Bothou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Midwifery, School of Health Sciences, University of West Attica (UNIWA), 12243 Egaleo, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vasiliki","family":"Kourti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1512-9301","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dimitrios","family":"Lamprinos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Hygiene and Environmental Protection, Department of Medical Micobiology-Immunology, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nektaria","family":"Kritsotaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-2177-953X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Efthymios","family":"Oikonomou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2260-9709","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nikolaos","family":"Machairiotis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Atticon, 12462 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9296-3688","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Angeliki","family":"Gerede","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nikoletta","family":"Koutlaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Panagiotis","family":"Tsikouras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"843","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMsa1506575","article-title":"Declines in Unintended Pregnancy in the United States, 2008\u20132011","volume":"374","author":"Finer","year":"2016","journal-title":"N. 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