Overview

• Sales of emergency contraception in the United States may spike by around 10% following New Year’s celebrations, according to a new study.
• The spike in sales seen in previous years could be affected by the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, which has led to both increased demand for emergency contraception and concerns about legal liabilities due to misinformation about the function of emergency contraception.
• The researchers reviewed national marketing data on weekly sales of an over-the-counter emergency contraceptive called levonorgestrel between 2016 and 2022.
• Following the federal New Year’s Day holiday, sales of the product increased by 0.63 units per 1,000 women after the holiday, equating to almost 41,000 additional units sold in the US in the week following New Year 2022.
• Valentine’s Day and Independence Day, which share some risk-related aspects of New Year’s Eve, were also associated with more sales, but to a lesser extent.