We celebrated International Women’s Day recently and as much as it is worth applauding for all the achievements we have achieved, there is still a long way to go in certain aspects of the lives of women. 

Something that I would like to talk about is contraceptives and their side effects. I am a big advocate for women taking care of themselves sexually and not wanting to get pregnant. However, over the years, I have met a lot of women who have had a lot of complaints when it comes to the contraceptives, they have chosen for themselves. 

As someone who has had a fair share of my experience, I will talk about the oral pill that we get from our local clinics or private doctors. However, before I go into detail about this, I need to make a disclaimer that, the side effects highly depend on the type of contraceptive as well as the individual.  The main thing that I have picked up from conversations is that it increases anxiety and sometimes, there is a change in emotions so much that they fluctuate. What I mean by this, is that, one moment you will feel happy and the next, you will be crying. You can almost equate it to PMS but you are far from that. 

What I have gathered from this is that the pill doesn’t necessarily balance your hormones, rather, it masters your symptoms. This is why, when you do decide to stop with the pill, in most cases, the symptoms come back worse. These symptoms may vary by person and degree. For some people, it comes with terrible acne, hair loss, migraines, missed periods, heavier periods, and as mentioned earlier, fluctuating emotions. 

What’s worse about this is that it may take even longer for you to go back to your normal self after you have stopped taking the pill. 

Another major side effect that a lot of women that I have encountered complain about was the fact that it killed their libido, aka sex drive. In some of these cases where the side effect of low sexual drive happens, a lot of women have said that being on the pill creates dryness during sexual intercourse. 

A lot of researchers have argued that this happens because when a lot of pills are combined, they lower the testosterone in women’s bodies, which is the hormone needed to increase sexual urges. 

I have heard a lot of speculations about cryptic pregnancies from women who have been on the pill and or took morning-after pills. One certain thing is that some antibiotics reduce the effectiveness of the pill. Now, please note that these do not include all of them, only a few. 

There are also instances where if you take your morning-after pill during ovulation, some women have said they fell pregnant. That’s because pills, like Plan B, can delay ovulation to prevent pregnancy. But if you’re already ovulating, an egg has already been released and sperm, which can live in your body for up to 6 days, is more likely to reach it. Research has argued that emergency contraceptive pills containing levonorgestrel, like Plan B, are ineffective when taken on the day of ovulation or after.

So, it is important to stay safe, rather than sorry. Again, these side effects differ from person to person. However, if you experience severe ones like nausea, fatigue, depression, anxiety, mood swings, or severe cramps, it would be ideal to perhaps have a conversation with your doctor and change the contraceptive you are on. They are a great initiative for women who do not want to have children, however, it comes at a price. Please do so at your own risk.

*Frieda Mukufa’s lifestyle section concentrates on women-related issues and parenting bi-weekly in the New Era newspaper. She also specialises in editing research proposals, proofreading as well as content creation. - etuholefrieda@gmail.com