Morning after pill available online

The Morning After Pill, is now available online to women before they actually need it.

Lloydspharmacy is to be the first to offer women this service.

It is aimed at women who may not be able to access the treatment when they need it, such as when travelling, or bank holidays.

It is also designed for women who may not be able to visit their local GP or may be anxious about the visit.

Head of Clinical Services at Lloydspharmacy, Clare Kerr said:”With the emergency pill, time is of the essence. The treatment is up to 95 per cent effective when taken 24 hours after sex but that reduces to 85 per cent in the following 24 hours and dips to 58 per cent in the next 24 hours.”

“Most women know that the morning after pill can be taken up to three days after sex,” she said, “but our pharmacists tell us that many women are unaware of the fact that effectiveness reduces during that period.”

There will be a 72 hour delay in despatching treatments to stop women from using the service if they have just had unprotected sex. The service will not be made available to patients under the age of 18.

Women accessing the service must fill out an online medical questionnaire which will be reviewed before the treatment can be prescribed.