Explaining Your medicines
‘Tis the season to be jolly. This statement connotes different messages to different persons. Some persons are trying to get pregnant while other persons are trying not to, since they are just not ready for this responsibility. Depending on which category you fall into, then the message from the National Aids Program Secretariat (NAPS) will either appeal to you or not – “Use a condom, or just be faithful to one partner”. These ongoing sex education campaigns all year round advocate the use of condoms to protect you from HIV/ AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and teenage pregnancy.
However, those who choose not to use a condom neither have one sexual partner may get themselves into a situation of an “unwanted pregnancy”, among other things. There are many couples, married and unmarried, who are unwilling to commit to each other or they simply don’t want to have the added responsibility and cost of having children. For such persons who do not want a pregnancy situation on their hands, this article is designed to inform you of the correct way to deal with this situation. 

WHAT IS CONTRACEPTION?
Contraception simply means preventing a female from getting pregnant. Once you have unprotected intercourse, there is a 90% chance that this will result in pregnancy, given that all the factors are present to allow the sperm to fertilise the egg.
Hence, when we hear the word contraceptive for the first time, we may start to think of the pills women take not to get pregnant. But these “birth control” pills are not the only type of contraception. There are various types of contraception as seen below. Important to note is that there is NO 100% guarantee with any of the methods recommended, so there is a chance of still getting pregnant while on contraception.
Types of contraception                        Likelihood of getting pregnant
OPTION A
Oral & injectable contraception → Different brands            Less than 1% chance of getting pregnant
with varying composition of hormone drugs

OPTION B
Barrier Methods → Diaphragm,                    2% – 15% chance of getting pregnant
condoms (alone and with spermicide)
Intrauterine devices

OPTION C
Natural → Rhythmic method, Timing the menstrual cycle        25% chance of getting pregnant

So you are unexpectedly pregnant because your contraception failed or you simply were not on any. What do you do?
To minimise the chances of getting pregnant, it is recommended that you use the “emergency pill”. This is composed of the active ingredient levonorgestrel (pronounced lev-o-nor-ges-trel) 1.5 milligrams, a hormonal drug that generally prevents pregnancy or fertilisation of the egg. For the emergency pill to work, you MUST use it within 12 – 72 hours of unprotected intercourse (or sex without a condom). If this timeline elapsed, it is not recommended that you use the pill since pregnancy can already be established or the fertilised egg can attach itself to the womb.
The sooner you use the pill the better the results, so effectiveness of the emergency contraceptives reduces with time.
If you find that you require the emergency contraception frequently, then it is time you consider one of the above types of contraceptives on a long term basis, so that safety will be established for the both sexual partners.
Some of the side effects you may encounter with the emergency pill are nausea, vomiting and or headaches. You should take another emergency pill within two hours as a replacement dose if vomiting occurs. Sometimes unexpected vaginal bleeding may occur which is not necessarily dangerous, and it will go away by the time you have the next period. If you are breast feeding, you can still use the “pill” without any harm to the child.
Your pharmacist or doctor must give you as much information as possible prior to using the emergency contraceptive so as to alleviate panic. It is important to note that after using the emergency pill, your next period can be early or late. It is highly recommended that you use a barrier method contraceptive, for example condoms, until your next period. Also more importantly, you need to report immediately any lower abdominal pain you may experience as a result of using the emergency pill, since you can be experiencing an ectopic pregnancy where the fertilised egg gets attached in the fallopian tube.
Please know that levonorgestrel is referred to as the emergency contraceptive, and it is NOT an abortion pill. If the egg is already fertilised and attached to the womb, then pregnancy is established and hence you need to visit a gynaecologist if you do not desire to go through with the pregnancy.
Within our Guyanese community, some pharmacies may sell you, without a prescription, a well-known tablet (which I will not mention at this time) to abort pregnancies. This practice is not only unethical, but also dangerous for the patient, since it is unsupervised by a gynaecologist and can result in death.
So generally, if you are sexually active but don’t want to get an STD nor pregnant, your best option is to use the condom, a barrier contraceptive method. All the other choices indicated above may prevent pregnancy but you can still get an STD, including HIV/AIDS.
You will have to consult your gynaecologist for the best birth control pill for you since these have considerable side effects. Your monthly refills can be continued at a pharmacy unless you experience any headaches or blurred vision. For the insertion of an intrauterine device or diaphragm, you should consult a trained health professional. 
In conclusion, the emergency contraceptive pill can be considered within 72 hours to prevent pregnancy when your regular contraception fails or if you had unprotected intercourse, either consensual or in rape cases. It does not protect you against sexually transmitted diseases. And it is certainly not an abortion pill.
At Medicine Express on Camp Street, between Lamaha and New Market Streets, the Emergency contraceptives are available. If you have any queries, comments or further information on the above topic kindly forward them to medicine.express@gmail.com or send them to 223 Camp Street, N/burg.
Tel #225-5142.