“Regarding emergency contraceptives, the most reasonable recommendation for taking them is not to take them more than three times a year and not more than twice a month, because it takes about three or four months for the drug to be excreted through the body’s metabolism. The problem now is that the emergency contraceptive pill is being taken indiscriminately by many people as a regular contraceptive pill.” Chen is a Chinese girl studying in New Zealand. She started to use the emergency contraceptive pill after being introduced to it by a friend and from a “plausible” experience on the Internet. Since emergency contraceptives are cheaper in China than in New Zealand, her boyfriend brought twelve boxes from China to New Zealand at one time. In just half a year, Chen Xi finished all the twelve boxes of emergency contraceptives. After that, Chen Xi began to have irregular periods, acne on her face, and gained nearly 50 pounds. After returning to the clinic, the doctor deduced that it was caused by endocrine disorders due to frequent use of emergency contraceptives. “If I had known that frequent use of the emergency contraceptive pill would have such serious consequences, I would never have swallowed the first tablet!” Chen is not the only one who believes in the emergency contraceptive pill. The company visited a number of pharmacies in Beijing, including Kangbaxin Pharmacy and Jinxiang Pharmacy. Depending on the geographical location of the pharmacy, the sales of emergency contraceptive pills range from a few dozen to hundreds of boxes per day. A pharmacy clerk told reporters that most of the people who come to buy emergency contraceptives are young women, and some of the buyers look like students. In the face of the emergency contraceptive pill buyers, the clerk mostly only to introduce them to the price of drugs. As for how long to eat once, they generally do not take the initiative to remind buyers of the dangers of overdose. Only when the buyers consult, some pharmacy clerks will say: “This pill is not a good thing, don’t take more! It’s best to take it twice a month” and “Emergency contraceptives all have more side effects, and long-term use can cause menstrual disorders.” However, in more small pharmacies, the clerk will only tell the buyer to read the instructions for use of the drug when taking it. In the common Yutin, gold Yutin, Antin and other emergency contraceptives on the packaging and instructions, the reporter did not see the number of times to take the limit, and overdose may bring serious consequences. Dial the reproductive health consultation phone number on the website of an emergency contraceptive pill manufacturer, the reporter told Chen Xi’s experience. The person on the other side admitted that the emergency contraceptive pill does have great side effects and should not be taken all the time; if symptoms such as menstrual irregularities and endocrine disruption occur, it should be stopped immediately. In addition, its contraceptive effect will be significantly reduced after long-term repeated use. The person who provided the consultation said that distributors are obliged to ask sales clerks to remind consumers of the necessary precautions when they purchase the drug, including the possible side effects of taking it, and the number of times to take it, etc. The consultant also reminded that women over 40 years of age have declining ovarian function and are susceptible to menstruation, which is more likely to cause menstrual disorders or amenorrhea after taking the drug. Wu Junqing, a researcher at the Shanghai Family Planning Research Institute, and Wu Shangchun, director of the Women’s Clinical Research Department at the Research Institute of the National Population Planning Commission, told Beijing Science and Technology News that the main ingredient of the emergency contraceptive pill is a synthetic hormone, which in larger doses can change the normal endometrial cycle, causing the endometrium to thin, secrete poorly and quickly atrophy and degenerate, which is not conducive to the implantation of a pregnant egg. Therefore, taking the emergency contraceptive pill within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse can prevent pregnancy from occurring. The emergency contraceptive pill also has the effect of inhibiting or delaying ovulation if it is taken during the first half of the menstrual cycle, before the egg is expelled. The predecessor of the emergency contraceptive pill was the Yuzpe method, which was used for emergency contraception. This method was used in the early 1980s with a combination oral contraceptive pill containing estrogen and progestin, and was named after the first doctor to use it. In 1998, China’s first emergency contraceptive pill, Yuting, was jointly developed and launched by the Scientific Research Institute of the National Family Planning Commission, the National Family Planning Commission Pill Service Center and relevant manufacturers. Since the emergency contraceptive pill is an over-the-counter drug in China, it can easily go from the counter of ordinary pharmacies to those who need it. “In the month when the emergency contraceptive pill is taken, about 30 percent of women will have an early or late next period due to its interference with the uterine lining or ovulation. What’s more, the emergency contraceptive pill is not as effective as conventional contraceptive methods such as short-acting oral contraceptives, and it can only be used temporarily as a remedy.” Wu Shangchun said. Ma Xiaonian, chairman of the Sexual Medicine Committee of the Chinese Society of Sexuality, also stressed that emergency contraception is only an emergency method, not a regular contraceptive measure, so emergency contraceptives cannot be used as a regular contraceptive. “Like other contraceptives, the emergency contraceptive pill also aims to avoid the occurrence of pregnancy by interfering with the normal physiological state to some extent. The reason why this pill can be used for emergency contraception is that it has a high dosage, one emergency contraceptive dose is approximately equivalent to 8 days of regular short-acting oral contraceptive pills, which can change the endocrine situation of the human body in a short period of time. The side effects are also significantly higher than those of conventional birth control pills. If overdosed and used frequently, it can easily lead to menstrual disorders, irregular bleeding, and may even cause breast cancer and cervical cancer.” “Regarding the emergency contraceptive pill, the most reasonable recommendation for taking it is not to take it more than three times a year and not more than twice a month, because it takes about three or four months for the drug to be excreted through the body’s metabolism.” Wu Junqing said, “The problem now is that the emergency contraceptive pill is treated as a regular contraceptive pill by many people and there is an indiscriminate use.” What worries her a lot is that the effects of the emergency contraceptive pill on people are not immediate, but a long-term process. Wu Junqing pointed out that “the reason for this situation is threefold: in terms of supervision, the national authorities have not issued a regulation for the management of emergency contraceptives; on the other hand, pharmacists in pharmacies also lack the necessary training, and they still lack a particularly clear understanding of the precautions for the use of emergency contraceptives; in addition, the manufacturer’s restrictions on the number of times to take and the overdose In addition, the manufacturers do not clearly indicate the limit of the number of doses and the possible harm caused by overdose, but only promote the convenience and speed of using emergency contraceptives. In some foreign countries, the regulation of emergency contraceptives is very strict. For example, in countries such as Germany, South Korea and Japan, people must have a doctor’s prescription when buying contraceptives, whether they are conventional or emergency contraceptives. And the UK required a doctor’s prescription to buy emergency contraceptives until 2001, after which the ban was lifted. A student studying in the U.K. told reporters that his mentor and several experts had written a strong call for the restoration of controls on emergency contraceptives, citing the serious abuse of emergency contraceptives by women in the U.K. after the lifting of the ban, a situation that experts suspect has affected the quality of the U.K. population. “Our country should also strengthen the regulation of this drug to minimize its impact on women as much as possible.” Wu Junqing called on the national authorities to pay enough attention to the abuse of emergency contraceptives, and it is not enough to rely on pharmacists’ tips alone. In addition to focusing on training for pharmacists, the state should also temporarily make the emergency contraceptive pill a prescription drug and then consider changing it to an over-the-counter drug after all pharmacists are able to give regular advice.