Emergency Contraceptive Pills

Having a baby should be a matter of choice! Unfortunately, this has not been the case in India for as late as 2002. If you had conceived there were two options—either have an abortion or go through with the pregnancy. Not any more because now women have emergency contraceptive pills, a relatively easy way to avoid unwanted pregnancy without going through the trauma of abortion. Estimates say there are about 5 million unsafe abortions in the country every year, which indicates towards the dire need to educate masses about emergency contraception.

A pill in need

Emergency contraceptive pills—the name says it all. These are to be used in situations—if your contraceptive fails, you forget to take precaution, or you become victim of a forced sexual act. And they have to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, but the pills will have greater efficacy if they are taken the morning after.

How does it work

• It may stop an egg being released from the ovary.
• If an egg has been released, it may prevent the sperm from fertilising it.
• If the egg is already fertilised, it may prevent it from attaching itself to the lining of the womb.

However, it is important to remember that the pill is ineffective if the pregnancy is already established. That means it will not work as an abortion pill.

On the plus side

• Does not need a prescription
• Prevents unintended pregnancy
• Brings down maternal mortality
• Reduces complications in reproductive health
• Eliminates dependence on unsafe abortions
• Empowers women by giving them the option of deciding when not to conceive

On the minus side
• Does not protect against sexually- transmitted infections or HIV/AIDS
• Has a failure rate of 5-15%
• Tends to be misused (frequent consumption)
• Access may still be an issue, with a lot of chemists not stocking it
• Frequent use could lead to irregular menstrual cycle and heavy bleeding

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