|
Teen pregnancies in Chennai are not uncommon and they are on the rise in the city, especially among the affluent and lower income groups. And if at all the number of schoolgirls undergoing abortions at hospitals has gone down, it is because of morning-after pills being available over the counter in the city’s pharmacies.
Fifteen-year-old Deepa (name changed) was brought to an infertility clinic by her parents for bouts of unexplained bleeding every 10 days. When the doctor probed deeper into the case, she found that the teenager, who indulged in sex often with her boyfriend, had taken an overdose of oral contraceptive pills. “Emergency pills are meant precisely for that – emergencies. How can such a situation crop up several times a month?” quips well-known gynaecologist, Dr Kamala Selvaraj.
Starting from Rs 70 to Rs 400, a range of such pills is available in drug stores across the city. While one pill is to be taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse, the second pill should be popped in 12 hours later. Even as young girls studiously read up on the contraceptive method online, and even ring up private hospitals to clear their doubts about the dosage, there are misconceptions about the usage.
“Many girls still do not know how to take them. They either overdose on the first pill, or forget to take the second one in time,” says Dr Jeyarani Kamaraj, a gynaecologist. Prolonged ‘abuse’ of the hormone-based pills can lead to multiple complications, including irregular menstrual cycles, hypertension and even diabetes, explains Dr Selvaraj. “The medication prevents implantation of the fertilised egg in the uterus, and should ideally be taken only under the instructions of a doctor,” she says.
The situation is dicey for doctors in government hospitals as increasing awareness of the pills among rural and poor girls may give an impression of encouraging sex among the youngsters, says a government doctor. Abortion clinics in the city are still frequented by teenagers who face ‘contraceptive failure’. “We even get schoolgirls who walk in with their boyfriends for support though they tell us that it is their brother or relative. We don’t ask questions,” says a nurse at one such clinic in Vadapalani.
M. Stephen.
Reporter.
Anytime chennai news team.
|
Comments