In this twenty first century one can observe many types of changes taking place in the entire world. Some of these changes have brought about development, happiness, luxuries and other facilities which have changed the out look towards life especially in the younger generation. It is a well known fact that every aspect in this world has two sides like the two faces of a coin. In the same way the all round development on one hand has helped the young generation to overcome several barriers of blind faith and beliefs.
This has also helped them to expand their knowledge and form advanced opinion about several things in life. But on the other hand it has also opened up many barriers which have flooded their lives with confusions and problems. One such area is the knowledge about sex. The natural physical changes during adolescence make them curious and in the process of finding out about the facts they face many problems especially in the case of girls and their parents. Of course there are many precautionary methods that are easily available but they are not hundred percent effective so through constant research medical experts have developed the emergency contraceptive pills.
1. What is special about this pill and when should it be made available to growing girls?
This contraceptive pill has been developed as an emergency method of protection against unwanted pregnancy which can also be used by married women who are not mentally prepared for conception or by those married women who want to ward off pregnancy for few years after their first child but had unprotected sex in their fertile period. This pill has been developed as a contraception method that is totally hormonal. The hormones progestin and estrogen is a very effective contraception device so a high dose of one of these hormones or combination of both the hormones is administered through this pill to prevent conception.
Though the pill has proved to be very effective it should not be taken regularly like other contraceptive pills but should be kept only for emergency use. It is the responsibility of the mothers of adolescent girls that they should not hesitate to discuss openly with their wards about sex as they are the best source from whom their daughters can get unbiased knowledge about this vital issue. Even after all the precautionary steps they find that their ward had unprotected sex then they should immediately administer emergency contraceptive pills to save their daughters from the mental and physical trauma of abortion.
2. Where are these pills available and in which type of situations is it advisable to use these pills?
These pills are easily available at the nearest chemist shop but the best way to procure the right pill is to consult your family doctor as he is aware about the health condition of your family members so he can prescribe the most appropriate pill which will not have any adverse effect on the health of the person who consumes it. This precaution is all the more necessary as there are many companies who have introduced this type of pills in the market and each company’s doses combination of hormonal percentage is different from the other.
This method of varying combination affects each individual in a different manner so one pill which is effective for a particular individual can have adverse effect on another individual. These pills should be used in emergency conditions like if the condom that is being used comes off, or breaks during intercourse. If sexual intercourse takes place without using any type of precautionary methods like condoms, vaginal pills, oral contraceptive pills or copper IUD. Always remember that these pills should never be taken regularly like other ordinary contraceptive pills and that is why these pills are called emergency contraceptive pills.
3. How do these pills help in preventing unwanted pregnancy? Do they give protection against sexually transmitted diseases?
The pills contain the hormones which work in the prevention of fertilization by preventing the fertile egg to come out from the ovary so it cannot fuse with the sperm and conception is prevented. It also obstructs the path of the sperm so that it cannot enter the ovary to fuse with the egg. In spite of all these obstructions if the sperm fuses with the ovary the pill helps in preventing the fertile egg from attaching to the walls of the uterus and in the process stops the entire process of conception.
Though this pill is effective in preventing conception it does not act as protection against sexually transmitted diseases as it is not an antidote that can eliminate the bacteria or virus that cause STD. The best way to prevent the sufferings of sexual diseases is to use all the safety methods while having sexual intercourse and always adhering to the concept of safe sex. Emergency contraceptive pills should always be used with discretion to obtain the best result.
