For God’s sake, those are “Emergency” Pills

To or 'Not To'???

When my long term friend started discussing sex education with me I picked up the courage to ask her if she ever used those ubiquitous emergency pills. And the answer was overwhelming and shocking at the same time. I was bemused to hear that in spite of the emergency tag of these pills she was frequenting them quite often than not. It was even a greater shock to hear that she was using these pills as a regular contraceptive option against pregnancy even shadowing condoms for that matter. Finally as I tried hard to come to terms to what she had just said, I asked from where   she was encouraged to gulp these pills so often after every act of intercourse.  And, not surprisingly, the culprit was none other than the marketing being done by the pharma companies for their respective pills. She was swayed into believing that these are the best options against any kind of unwanted pregnancy that an unsafe sexual intercourse may carry.

A Catchy Advt

The emergency pill market has become humungous and boasts of more than a Rs. 100 crore in sales revenue.  Clearly, the use of these emergency pills has increased exponentially over the years. So what is it that encourages the usually timid Indian populace to consume so much of emergency pill? For one, these pills are available over the counter at any chemist shop and do not require doctor’s prescription for selling. Till now everything good. Customers happy, Pharma companies happy. But wait, the world is not so nice so where is the catch?

The rising sales are a definite sign that women are ignoring the warning signs about these pills clearly written on or stored inside aesthetically designed packing boxes which they come in. Gynecologists and Physicians have voiced their concerns about the flashy adverts which are encouraging indiscriminate use of these pills. As per Dr. Chandra M Gulati, Editor, Monthly Index of Medical Specialties:

•    Pills are only 95 % effective if taken within 24 hrs of the sexual intercourse

•    85 % effective if taken within 25-48 hrs of the sexual intercourse

•    58 % effective if taken after 49 but before 72 hrs.

•    If used mid-menstrual cycle one in every 20 women is likely to get pregnant

Also, as per the leaflet that comes with the pill, it may carry a lot of side effects which range from vomiting, nausea, fatigue, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, early or late onset of next period to increased menstrual bleeding and vaginal hemorrhage. Every woman in this world has the right to decide whether or not she is prepared to get pregnant. She has a moral as well as a legal right to avoid unwanted pregnancy. We as a society should be more open and communicative to ensure that the youth of today do not get swayed by flashy adverts prodding them to buy over the counter products which could cause long term health problems. If the elders of the society start promoting cheaper and better contraceptive products like condoms who would need those ridiculously priced Rs.100 Pills?????

**Dr. Gulati's views collected through www

-Sunny Gusain