The Contraception Misconception
Written by Thembie Terry, Contributor
Why is it that when people see a woman with a Jadelle in her arm that automatically translates to she’s having unprotected sex?
Well, maybe she could be and that’s her choice and the whole point of contraception. For a married couple to be able to have control over their family structure i.e family planning.
But like most things, we don’t use family planning just for its intended use. Don’t judge us as if you’ve never used a Mazoe container as a water bottle or a hot water bottle. Is that its intended use? Didn’t think so.
There are women that use contraception for its side effects. Strange but true. Some women suffer from extreme period pain (dysmenhorrea) and one of the side effects of some family planning methods is the cessation of the menstrual cycle. Although the medical society strongly advises against this, drastic situations call for drastic measures. And some women use the pill to manipulate their cycle and decide when they want to go on their period.
Some of these contraceptives make the body believe, hormonally, that the woman is already pregnant. The results are cosmetically beneficial. Your body becomes fuller in the right places, your breasts are perky all the time and your skin is glowing like a JLo perfume. Who would say no to this? The beauty of being a pregnant woman without being pregnant!
Another side-effect that’s popular is the increased appetite. Believe it or not some skinny girls don’t like being skinny and thus they abuse contraceptives to gain weight. Being on hormonal-based contraception fiddles with your appetite making you hungry most of the time. That’s why most women shy away from contraceptives if they are watching their figure. But here’s the trick, contraceptives make you hungry but its up to you what you eat. Junk or a healthy snack. Didn’t realise that did you?
I’ve sat with women, chatted with them on Facebook support groups and even on Whatsapp and I have heard the most absurd misconceptions about contraception. I attribute the rate of unwanted pregnancies to these old wives tales being spun by people that can’t spell contraception.
We need to embrace contraceptives as women and take control over our bodies. Decide when you want a child ensuring that you are ready in all aspects. With all these contraceptives at your disposal, we can’t keep having unwanted pregnancies. The options are diverse. Feel free to explore your options without having to hide it because people will think you’re promiscuous.
PS: Not everybody will respond the same to contraceptives. Results do vary. So don’t self-impose another’s results upon yourself because your experience may be completely different
Check out the rest of Thembie’s hilarious blog on thembieterry.co.zw
