Abuse of emergency contraceptives dangerous

The worries of many women getting pregnant after an unprotected sex were addressed with the introduction of a wide range of birth control measures, including emergency contraceptives.

But a worrying development in Ghana is that many women, especially young ladies, are abusing the use of the Emergency pills, which health experts say is dangerous and could have serious health consequences.

Emergency contraception, or post-coital contraception, refers to methods of contraception that can be used to prevent pregnancy in the first few days after intercourse. It is intended for emergency use following unprotected intercourse, contraceptive failure such as torn condoms, rape or coerced sex.

Information gathered by Weekend Finder indicates that many young women have resorted to a regular use of emergency contraceptives each time they have unprotected sex.

In some instances, their male counterparts carry the pills on them, which they give to their partners to swallow after an unprotected sex, in their bid to prevent pregnancy.

But health experts say emergency contraceptives, as the name connotes, are for emergencies only, and should not be taken more than twice in a year. If used as a regular contraceptive, it could disturb a woman’s menstrual cycle and delay pregnancy when it is needed.

Dr Yaa Asante, Family Planning Programmes Manager at the Ghana Health Service, told Weekend Finder that never in any woman’s life should they take an emergency contraceptive more than twice in a year, as it disturbs the menstrual cycle and a for a period disturbs their chances of getting pregnant when they are ready to conceive.

She indicated that most women are reporting to the hospitals with all kinds of complications, such as abnormal bleeding as a result of the abuse of these emergency contraceptives.

In some cases, women who use emergency contraceptives on regular basis would have to be monitored by a specialist for a period before they would be able to conceive.

In some cases, women who regularly use the emergency contraceptive are susceptible to getting pregnant after having sexual intercourse at a time when they feel they are in their safe period.

Dr Yaa Asante explained that because the pill could disrupt the normal menstrual cycle, it can be difficult for one to determine when they are in their safe period.

As a result, she said her outfit has made it a priority to educate women on the issue at every forum to ensure that women are equipped with the correct information.