Docs sound alarm as pill becomes the preferred contraceptive among girls

http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20090811/804/tnl-docs-sound-alarm-as-pill-becomes-the.html

Tue, Aug 11 05:35 AM

Pre-marital sex is on the rise in Chandigarh, and with it the \'trend\' of popping a pill. City gynaecologists are alarmed by the use of emergency contraceptive pills, especially i-pill, among young women in the city.

This, gynaecologists say, reveals that these girls are not insisting on the use of condoms by their partners, significantly increasing the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Leading gynaecologist Dr Yash Bala says while several sexual partners seems to have become a norm with girls in the age group of 18 to 28 years, the heavy use of emergency contraceptive pills is adding fuel to the fire.

During their interaction with patients, doctors say, they find even girls between 15 to 16 years old are comfortably using emergency contraceptive pills.

\"Girls are not concerned whether their partner uses condom. The use of i-pill has increased manifold. It\'s almost like girls are gulping i-pills,\" Dr Bala says. \"Pre-marital sex seems to be more common than marital sex, and the number of unplanned pregnancies higher than planned pregnancies.\"

Dr Rachna Abrol, a gynaecologist practising in Sector 22, agrees that the use of i-pill among young girls is alarming. \"It is supposed to be an emergency contraceptive pill, but my interaction with young patients reveals that girls are using it as a regular contraception tool.\"

\"Some years ago, if a young girl came with complaints of irregular menstrual cycle, we would hesitate to ask her if she was sexually active. Now, this is among our first questions. And the answer is usually in the affirmative,\" Dr Abrol adds.

Even chemists in the city are surprised by the \'major\' demand for i-pill. \"The demand for i-pill is exorbitant, and all buyers are young girls,\" says Vinay Jain, finance secretary of the Chandigarh Chemists Association. \"The sale of condoms has become negligible as compared to emergency contraceptive pills.\"

\"Sometimes the first customer in the morning wants an i-pill. And if you try to make these youngsters understand the implications, you will lose your customer,\" Jain adds.

Emergency contraceptive pills are available on the counter and do not need a doctor\'s prescription.

And in cases where the i-pill may fail, girls are going for abortion pills — without seeking a doctor\'s advice. Doctors say these girls are \"cool\" about taking abortion pills without getting a haemoglobin test conducted, or a test to reveal their Rh status.

Dr Bala says that if the girl is Rh negative and the foetus is Rh positive, the girl must be given an injection to protect her and her future pregnancies. If this is not done, the girl may face problems in her future pregnancies, or if she ever requires a blood transfusion.

Gynaecologists say an abortion pill causes a drop in haemoglobin by one or two per cent. \"If the haemoglobin of the girl was only 9 gram per cent earlier, it will go down to 7 gram per cent after taking an abortion pill. And the way girls eat these days...anaemia is very common,\" Dr Abrol says.

Demand for \'revirgination\' on the risePlastic surgeons in the city say the demand for hymenoplasty — the surgical reconstruction of hymen, also called \'revirgination\' — is on the rise. Dr K M Kapoor, a leading plastic surgeon and a consultant at Fortis, says girls demanding it are those about to get married. Another leading surgeon Dr V D Singh says the procedure costs between Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000.

Rajni Shaleen Chopra

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