Two new products are hitting the market in August 2009 that will make it easier for people to access and use emergency contraception. First, the makers of Plan B have released a new formulation that consists of a single dose taken within 72 hours of the unprotected sex or sexual assault, rather than the two doses that have to be taken 12 hours apart. The new one pill version contains the same amount of hormones as the two pill version, but this one pill dosing, marketed under the name Plan B OneStep, will make it easier for women to correctly take the medication and therefore make it more effective in preventing pregnancy. The current 2 pill version of Plan B is no longer in production and will be phased out as stock runs out in pharmacies. For more information check out the PlanB website.

The other good news that comes along with the approval of the new OneStep version of Plan B is that both the one pill and two pill versions of Plan B are now available without a prescription for those 17 years-old and older (it was previously only available without a prescription for people 18 years-old and older).