Morning-after pill use rises to 1 in 9 younger women

NEW YORK (AP) - A government report says an increasing number of women are using the morning-after pill after sex. The study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the first by the government to focus on emergency contraception since the approval of the morning-after pill 15 years ago.

Eleven percent of females ages 15 to 44 who'd had sex say they've used the morning-after pill. That's up from 4 percent in 2002.

In the study, half the women who used the pills said they did it because they'd had unprotected sex. Others said the condom broke or they were worried that the birth control method they used had failed.

And the study says white women and more educated women use it the most.

Experts say the increased popularity of the morning-after pill is probably because it's easier to get now and because of media coverage of controversial efforts to lift the age limit for over-the-counter sales. A prescription is still required for those younger than 17 so it is still sold from behind pharmacy counters.