Students’ use of Emergency Contraceptive Pills alarming - Dr. Odame

Female students in Ghana have been cautioned against the excessive use of Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECP) which are used for the prevention of pregnancy after unsafe sex.

A medical officer at the Legon Hospital, Dr. Gifty Odame, has revealed that the pill which is not supposed to be used more than four times a year is being abused by some young women.

Speaking in an interview on Radio Univers monitored by GhanaWeb, Dr Odame intimated that the rate of use of these over-the-counter pills has become “alarming” citing the danger it poses on women.

“It is alarming the rate at which students are using the emergency contraceptive. It builds up; with time it disrupts your menstrual cycle.”

"That’s why it’s called emergency contraceptives. In a year don’t use it more than four times,” she cautioned.

According to Dr. Odame, ECP can cause ectopic pregnancy which occurs when a fertilized egg attaches somewhere outside the uterus.

“Even when you get pregnant you might not know. That’s how we get a lot of ectopic pregnancies. We get a lot of people coming in saying, I am bleeding. You come to the hospital and complain that you have been bleeding twice in a month, the first question we ask is ‘have you used emergency contraceptive?’ Because it is hormonal, it is going to disrupt your cycle,” she explained.