Ghent project improves access to emergency copper coils against unwanted pregnancies
In Ghent, healthcare professionals and the city council have given a positive assessment of a pilot project that ensures women have rapid access to an emergency IUD (Intrauterine Device), also known as an emergency copper coil. This alternative to the morning-after pill is often overlooked, even though it is more reliable following unprotected sex. Since the project began in June 2025, more than 100 emergency IUDs have already been fitted in hospitals, GP practices and an abortion clinic.
An emergency copper coil is the most reliable form of emergency contraception. It prevents a potentially fertilised egg from implanting and can be inserted up to five days after unprotected sex. The chance of pregnancy is then limited to 0.2 to 1 per cent. By comparison, the morning-after pill works by delaying ovulation and is ineffective once ovulation has already taken place.
The emergency IUD also offers several advantages. It is hormone-free and therefore causes no hormonal side effects. Furthermore, it provides immediate, long-term protection against pregnancy, lasting up to five to ten years, without the need for further action.
In practice, it used to be difficult to get an appointment for insertion in time, within the required five-day window. “But contraception is not a luxury product, it must be readily accessible to everyone,” stated Ghent alderwoman Astrid De Bruycker.
The Ghent pilot project now makes this possible through coordinated collaboration between healthcare providers. According to the first evaluations, this is proceeding without any significant issues regarding scheduling or capacity. Since its launch in June 2025, more than 100 emergency IUDs have already been fitted in participating hospitals, GP practices and an abortion clinic.
The Ghent pharmacists’ association, 16 GPs, 4 hospitals, the non-profit organisation Luna and the city worked together on the project. It is now being continued in Ghent. Luna, a non-profit organisation with abortion centres in Flanders and Brussels, hopes to launch similar collaborations in other regions as well.
#FlandersNewsService | IUD birth control copper coil device © PHOTO IMAGEBROKER
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