Emergency contraceptive pills, popularly known as the morning-after pills, are increasingly replacing regular modes of contraception, in a trend feared by city doctors.
Medical fraternity worried about increasing misuse of morning-after pills as regular contraceptives
MUMBAI: Emergency contraceptive pills, popularly known as the morning-after pills, are increasingly replacing regular modes of contraception, in a trend feared by city doctors.
Chemists say demand for morning-after pills like Wanted, Norlevo, and the recently launched I-Pill is growing rapidly, and it is not just youngsters, but even married couples who are opting for them.
Emergency pills are meant to prevent accidental pregnancies after unprotected sex. They have to be consumed within 72 hours of intercourse. Such pills do not, however, guarantee cent per cent results, nor do they protect against sexually transmitted infections.
But doctors and chemists say one reason for their growing popularity is that they can be purchased over the counter without a prescription.
A salesman from Colaba Stores, who asked not to be identified, said at least 20 customers ask for the pills on any given day, with demand soaring in the festive season.
Rakesh Shah of Khar Medical Stores said emergency contraception is giving regular contraceptives a run for their money. “Emergency pills now sell as much as condoms and the regular birth-control pills,” said Shah. “Not only youngsters but people from all age groups come asking for it.”
National Chemists, Parel, said that at times emergency contraceptives sell more than regular ones. “We do not know the reason, but demand for them has gone up since the past year,” said the manager.
A helpline set up by Cipla, the company that produces I-Pill, in August last year was flooded with more than 300 calls a day during its launch phase. “People from all age groups have acknowledged the product quite well,” said a spokesman for the company.
Even now the helpline answers more than 100 calls a day, dispelling myths and taboos about such contraception, the spokesman said.
But the medical fraternity is worried by what it sees as possible abuse of the emergency measure.
“It is meant to be used only rarely, not commonly,” said Dr Rekha Davar, head of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, JJ Hospital.
Emergency contraception results in some side-effects like nausea, stomachache, and headache, but many users may not feel anything at all. Talking of the ill-effects, Davar said the pill may not be very harmful though it is not completely safe. “But users should not be under a false sense of security as the failure rate of emergency pills is higher than that of regular contraception,” she said.
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