THE CHRISTMAS party season is causing a surge in demand for the morning-after pill, Dublin Well Woman clinics have reported.
To cater for the demand, its three Dublin clinics are offering early-morning and late-evening appointments. The clinics at Liffey Street, Coolock and Pembroke Road will also open at different times during the Christmas holidays to cater for emergency contraception requests.
Dublin Well Woman medical director Dr Shirley McQuade said the first three weeks in December were always a very busy time for clinics as the office party season got under way. She had expected that the demand would not be as strong this year, because of the reduction in the number of people working “but it’s as busy as ever”.
She said the Liffey Street clinic was seeing an increase in emergency contraception requests of about 20 per cent, when compared with other times of the year, while the increase was slightly less at the other clinics. Dr McQuade said demand would probably reduce next week, as people left the city for Christmas holidays, and would peak again in the early days of January.
She was speaking at the opening of the refurbished Well Woman clinic at 67 Pembroke Road and the launch of the new website.
It provides information about women’s sexual and reproductive healthcare, and has an online shop selling items such as condoms and pregnancy tests. Well Woman has also published a new information leaflet on the seven ages of woman’s sexual health.
Christmas Well Woman clinic opening times are available on www.wellwomancentre.ie.
