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ALMOST HALF of women obtaining the morning-after pill are doing so outside the optimal 24-hour timeframe for its use, according to new research from the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA).

A study of 1,351 new clients who presented to its Cathal Brugha Street Clinic in Dublin in 2008 found that while 54 per cent of them presented for emergency contraception within 24 hours of unprotected or under-protected sex, 35 per cent of women only did so between 24 and 48 hours later while a further 11 per cent experienced a delay of 48 hours or more before accessing emergency contraceptive services.