Pills for emergency contraception

NEW DELHI, May 24: It is possible to terminate an unwanted pregnancy with emergency contraception within 72 hours of unprotected sex. Simple...

NEW DELHI, May 24: It is possible to terminate an unwanted pregnancy with emergency contraception within 72 hours of unprotected sex. Simple dosages of emergency contraceptive pills ECPs are enough for the purpose. But the government, otherwise obsessed with contraception and population control, somehow missed out on the information.

The method has been popular in the West and the Latin American countries for the past two decades, saving millions unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions. Waking up on the ECP methods, now, the Government Women8217;s Health and Welfare Department is conducting a series of workshops to spread awareness among the medical practitioners and the users.

Said the Population Council representative Anjali Nayar, 8220;The induction of ECPs in the government programme will not only lower the rates of accidental pregnancy, but also help lower the rate of health hazardous abortions.8221;

The emergency contraception method is quite simple. Women have to take two regular oral contraceptive pills i.e. Overall or four lower-dose oral contraceptives i.e. Mala-D within 72 hours of unprotected sex and a second 12 hours later. 8220;But extra pills will not make the method more effective,8221; Nayar warned.

The government is launching a massive programme8217; to popularise ECPs and methods of usage. Said V.K. Behl, advisor to the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, 8220;We are working out the methodology and the modalities of emergency contraception. Once it8217;s finalised, there is going to be a big training programme for government doctors and health service workers at all levels down to the district and tehsils.8221;

Though exclusive brands of ECPs like Neogynon, Ovidon, Postinor, etc are available in other countries, including Banagladesh, Malaysia, China and Mexico, the government here is yet give green signal to any ECP brand here. 8220;Most of them are on a trial run at the Army hospitals, but none have been approved yet,8221; said Dr Behl.

Apart from helping those who want to avoid pregnancy, the ECPs would be useful for rape victims. Also for couples who forget to use or run out of contraceptive methods or women who were not expecting to have sex.

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8220;But there is very little awareness about ECPs among the users here. Nobody comes to the doctor within 72 hours for help. So even if some of us are aware, we rarely get to prescribe the method,8221; said gynecologist, Alaka Dhar, who is involved in various population control programmes.

8220;And because it is not popularly used or known, no pharmaceutical company is coming forward to launch an exclusive ECP brand. But things are going to change once the government machinery becomes active in popularising ECPs,8221; she added.

The ECP success rate has been reported to be quite high with only two in every 100 women using ECPs correctly, becoming pregnant. However, ECPs do not interrupt established pregnancy.

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