Pharmacies who provide fast and convenient access to the morning-after pill could be helping to prevent ten per cent more unwanted pregnancies, according to a study carried out by the University of Bradford.

Researchers at the university teamed up with South West Kent Primary Care Trust to look at 203 females aged from 13 to 20 who got the medication from family planning clinics and community pharmacies.

They discovered that those who went to a pharmacy to get the morning-after pill obtained it more than twice as quickly as those who went to a family planning clinic in 16 hours rather than 41.

World Health Organisation statistics suggest that taking emergency contraception up to 24 hours after unprotected sex prevents 95 per cent of pregnancies, while taking it 24 to 48 hours later prevents 85 per cent.

A scheme to provide the morning-after pill to teenage girls aged 13 to 19 over the counter at pharmacies for free is being rolled out across the Bradford district.

It aims to slash the number of teenage pregnancies in Bradford, which, though falling, are still above the national average.

Dr Kay Marshall, at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Bradford, said: "The UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe and the highest rate of live births among teenagers.

"The morning-after pill often referred to by health professionals as emergency hormonal contraception has long been recognised as a safe and effective method of preventing unintended pregnancies.

"The name is a bit misleading, because it can actually be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, not just the morning after.

"But as the effectiveness of the morning-after pill declines significantly with time it works best if taken within 24 hours it's essential that it can be obtained as soon as possible.

"We believe that the females in our study were able to access the pill much more quickly from local pharmacists as they tend to be open outside normal working hours and at weekends."

The research found that providing the pill free-of-charge at selected pharmacies was an important development, especially for young girls who cannot afford to pay the over-the-counter cost, which recently increased to £25.

Pharmacists providing the item free are required to submit a return to the Primary Care Trust, which includes the age of the client and the number of hours between unprotected sex or contraception failure and dispensing.

The researchers collated data from 116 pharmacy request forms and compared them with 87 requests for emergency contraception from two family planning clinics.

The study found that 72 per cent of those who obtained the morning-after pill from clinics were aged between 15 and 17, while 74 per cent who went to pharmacies were between 16 and 18.

Twenty-five per cent visited the pharmacies over the weekend and 26 per cent on a Monday. Two-thirds of girls under 16 said they needed the morning-after pill because they had not used any contraception. The other third blamed split condoms.

Two-thirds of those in the 16-plus age group sought the morning-after pill because they had had a contraception failure either the condom split or they had missed taking the pill.

e-mail: claire.lomax@bradford.newsquest.co.uk