Basing on pharmaceutical shops in the capital’s viewpoints, women using emergency contraceptive pills namely I-pill and unwanted-72 are on the rise.
“Last year, there were around five to ten people looking for I-pill everyday but now-a-days, we have about 15 to 20 people looking for it, daily,” said one of pharmacists in Thimphu, Jharna Rai.
However, medical doctors caution against the use of these pills. Doctors said excessive use of such pills to avoid unplanned pregnancies will lead to infertility. This will happen due to unprotected intercourse which will invite sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
“I-pill should be used only on emergency basis, not on regular basis. So it’s wrong that women with their regular partners are using I-pill, they should be using normal pills, injections or copper-T if they really don’t want to get pregnant. I-pill is only meant for usage for once or twice,” said the Gynaecologist of the national referral hospital, Dr. Ugyen Tshomo.
Taking regular contraceptive pills will also have ill-effects on one’s health such as occasional bleeding, irregular menstruation, pregnancy complications, and hormonal imbalances.
Gynaecologists added the emergency contraceptive pills are meant for women who are victims of rape.
“We gave training to all the pharmacy retailers in the country and especially the young girls, they should be aware about STIs and HIV when they are going around with unknown partners and all,” Dr. Ugyen Tshomo added.
Health officials recommend using condoms to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
