Whenever you talk to any customer, remember WWHAM:

Who is it for?

Most women can use EHC. This includes people who can’t take other hormonal contraception, such as daily contraceptive pills or patches. If a customer is under 16, they should always be referred to the pharmacist.   

What are the symptoms?

A customer may have had unprotected sex, their regular contraception may have failed (e.g. a condom may have split) or a contraceptive pill may have been missed.  

How long have the symptoms been present?

Levonorgestrel can be taken as EHC up to 72 hours after unprotected sex and ulipristal acetate can be taken up to 120 hours after unprotected sex. If it has been longer than five days since the customer had unprotected sex, they should be referred to the pharmacist. 

Action already taken?

If a customer has already taken EHC and they think they might be pregnant, they should be referred to the pharmacist. 

Medication?

It is important to ask about prescribed and OTC medicines as well as herbal remedies, as some can interact with EHC. This includes St John’s Wort, some antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors and some medicines used to treat epilepsy, HIV and tuberculosis. Ulipristal acetate cannot be used if a customer is already taking one of these medicines as it may not work. Levonorgestrel may still be used, but the dose may need to be increased. Always refer customers taking any other medicines to the pharmacist.

You don’t have to ask these questions in order, and a customer might give you some of this information without you asking. As long as you get them into the conversation, you should be able to find out the information you need in order to make a recommendation. The golden rule to remember is: if in doubt, refer to the pharmacist. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for their advice as they have a lot of information about products and symptoms to hand that you may not be aware of.