Contraceptives: To Whom It May Concern

Ayoade Zariat Yetunde writes,

Contraception is the act of preventing conception after sexual intercourse. Contraception, a rampant practice among females, especially unmarried ones, has become the norm of many. Premarital sex overruns our society such that whoever preaches against it gets replies like, ‘are you a saint?’, ‘isn’t everyone doing it?’, ‘have those doing it lost their lives?’. Of course, they’re still breathing, but have we considered the effects on us as individuals. The extent to which young people enjoy premarital sex without fear of pregnancy is alarming, yet we handle this subject with levity in our society today. Excuses like, ‘I am building my career', ‘I can’t get pregnant’, ‘My parents will throw me out’, are on the lips of the majority of females who enjoy fornication.

Contraceptives, especially the widely-used Postinor 2, prevent pregnancy yet have many side effects. If only we pay heed to the Yoruba saying that translates into “sweet things kill faster” in English:

Sister turns her boyfriend’s room into her second home or starts living a couple's life. After sex, she takes Postinor 2 pills. The routine continues for weeks, months or even years. She does not get pregnant, but her monthly flow stops abruptly. Sister is scared. She tells her boyfriend, and he goes, “Babe, don’t worry. It also happened to my Friend's girlfriend. It’s normal,”. Love-drunk sister listens and continues the routine, but months later, her tummy fat grows beyond the ignorable. Boyfriend gets irritated and throws her out. It’s over, and she knows it; who will date or marry a lady with a paunch as big as that of a pregnant woman? She complains at the hospital, and the Doctor confesses that he can do nothing about her unstable menstrual cycle and excessive weight gain. People mock and body shame sister, and she suffers life-long depression.

Postinor 2, also called emergency pill contains levonorgestrel, which delays ovulation and takes out chances of pregnancy. It remains effective even after 72 hours of unprotected sex, though ineffective after conception. Its side effects include nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, hormonal imbalance, inability to get pregnant, to name a few. Yet ladies, especially the unmarried ones in tertiary institutions, rely on these harmful pills. While many use it under peer pressure or out of ignorance, mindless of its implications, it continues to ruin lives.

Another common example of contraception is the use of implants. Implants like Nexplanon are small flexible plastic rods placed under the skin with the help of medical experts. These implants release a hormone called progestogen into the bloodstream and prevent ovulation by thickening the cervical mucus to make it difficult for sperms to move through the cervix and thin the womb lining to keep fertilised eggs from manifesting for up to 3 years. Aside from the risk of infection, implants can stop menstruation indefinitely.

Implants, like Postinor, also have side effects, which include headache, nausea, mood swings, breast tenderness, irregular menstruation or no menstruation at all, acne, skin infection whilst fixing and removing them. We must also not forget that such ladies are prone to sexually transmitted diseases because of unprotected sexual intercourse.

On a final note, premarital sex is a sin we must avoid. Get married or abstain from sex. Using contraceptives has negative aftermaths like body odour and others mentioned above. However, many others consequences depend on the body system of the users.

To be safe, say NO to sex before marriage!