Health Corner


when choosing the right contraceptive for you:


HEALTH & WELLBEING with Dr Sithabiso Dube


There are certain recurring medical questions that I get asked time and again by girlfriends, cousins, aunts, female Facebook buddies and so on. Whether I am at a wedding, in a bus or taking out the dustbin, free consultations have become a regular thing. And I don’t really mind but once and for all I would like to answer one of the most frequently asked questions: “Doctor, do tell me, which contraceptive should I use?” Like many other reproductive health questions, there is no one answer.


Contraception and you


The question of choice E


verything about sex is about choice. You decided when you were going to start having sex, whom you were going to have it with... and whom you were not


going to have it with. All these decisions depended on your preference, background, situation and personality. Likewise the choice in contraception varies depending on the woman. Several women have difficulty decid-


ing due to not having adequate informa- tion and getting confused between what is myth and what is fact. So instead they turn to their health-care provider (read me) and grab them by the collar and de- mand, “Just tell me which one to use!”. Fine, I exaggerated with the collar, but on a serious note, the ignorance displayed


84 | NEW AFRICAN WOMAN | WINTER 2011


about contraceptive choices is a real thing even among the educated. In a society where most women rely on their friends for the intricate data, they frequently face consequences they may not have prepared for. It is time women put their reproduc- tive health first and make wise choices for a brighter future with minimum re- gret. Tere is more to contraceptive choice than answering the question, hormonal or non-hormonal? You can also choose permanent over reversible. Tere is the question of whether both you and your spouse will combine the use of contraceptives or rely on one. Tese and many other issues need to be addressed. Con- sider the following factors


EASE OF USE AND CONVENIENCE Failure rates of contraceptives are given as two statistics; one for perfect use of the contraceptive and one which is not consistently or correctly used. For exam- ple, oral contraceptives (Te Pill) used correctly have a 0.3% failure rate, but if you miss a couple the percentage failure can go as high as 8%. Te Pill has a disad- vantage of having to be taken around the same time of day every day which many women find challenging. More conven- ient methods include injectables, where the woman only has to check in with her doctor every few months, or intra-uterine devices, which can be leſt in place for up to five years and no daily contraception routine is required. Your lifestyle will determine your choice.


ISSUE OF COMFORT Tere is no point in having the most effec- tive contraception in the world but being completely uncomfortable with it. Every woman has a different response to materi- als. Some people may be allergic to latex


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