Women abusing emergency contraceptives like chewing gum – Health Expert

Public Relations Officer of the National Association of Registered Midwives Ghana, Rosetta Ntriwaah Boakye has expressed worry about the rate at which some emergency contraceptives are being abused by women in recent times.

According to her, the birth control pills which are usually taken after unprotected sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy are being taken more than they are supposed to by many women; likening it to how often people chew gum.

Speaking on UTV, she noted that the pills are medically structured to be taken only once annually by every sexually active woman and not more than that.

“When we say emergency, it means something that is unplanned and we can’t also say that we will stay in the life and not plan. It is medically arranged such that every woman can take one emergency contraceptive once every year but the women are abusing it like chewing gum,” she said.

The health expert further noted that unlike other family planning methods which can be used often, the emergency contraceptives are designed to shock the woman’s reproductive system when taken and hence will have dire effects if abused.

“They are not supposed to take it every time they are having sex; it is wrong to use it as a family planning method.

“The emergency contraceptives work differently from the family planning pills. They shock your system and so it is not healthy to always do that because it destroys your reproductive system.

“You don’t take these pills before sex, you take it after sex and sometimes it depends on how early you take it after the act, that’s why sometimes people get pregnant,” Rosetta added.

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WA