“One of my awful moments as a lady was when I almost lost my ovaries or maybe I could not figure out the exact cause of the stomach ache other than Postinor 2. I am not a first-time user but it just went wrong this time.”
This was the way a phone conversation started. My patient was breathing heavily while narrating her ordeal with this drug. “You know that feeling that comes from being ignorant or not having complete information about a drug, that was how I felt.” “How are you now”, I managed to ask… “my dear, I’m much better now. Please can you tell me more about this drug?”
Talking about Postinor 2; some call it ‘morning after pill’. Postinor 2 is an emergency contraceptive only. Postinor 2 is not intended as a regular method of contraception. It is used to prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. It is estimated that it will prevent 85% of expected pregnancies. 95% of expected pregnancies will be prevented if taken within the first 24 hours, declining to 58% if taken between 48 hours and 72 hours after unprotected intercourse.
Take one tablet as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. The sooner that you take the tablet, the more effective it is likely to be. It is best to take it immediately after you receive it. The first tablet should be taken no later than 72 hours after intercourse. Take the second tablet exactly 12 hours after the first tablet. As you must take the second tablet exactly 12 hours after the first tablet, you should work out a time when you will be able to take the second tablet (for example, not in the middle of the night when you will probably be asleep) and take the first tablet 12 hours before then. This means you might need to delay the first dose slightly. You should remember though that the sooner the first tablet is taken, the greater the likelihood of the treatment stopping you from falling pregnant
It contains 750 micrograms of Levonorgestrel, a progesterone only pill and other ingredients like silica, colloidal anhydrous, magnesium stearate, potato starch, talc, maize starch, lactose monohydrate. Although Postinor 2 is effective, it is an emergency contraceptive. When used within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it helps reduce the chances of being pregnant. Many young ladies make it arbitrary to use Postinor 2 anytime they feel like; making it an everyday pill.
BUT…
This drug isn’t made as a regular method of contraception contrary to the way it’s been abused. There are lots of risks associated with the constant use of this drug; just like the abuse of any other drug. Most ladies are naïve; consuming the pills in clinically unsafe ways. They use these drugs without knowing the way it interacts with the body system forgetting people react to drugs in different ways.
For Postinor-2 to have been used in the first instance, it means the intercourse was without protection; putting the lady as well as the man at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.Postinor-2 is only a contraceptive; an immediate preventive measure of reducing the chances of getting pregnant. As effective as this pill is, it doesn’t prevent one from being infected with viral diseases. While a condom may look like a major inconvenience and a fun killer for many, it would do two things; protect one from sexually transmitted diseases and prevent pregnancy.Postinor-2 could cause spotting and bleeding when used excessively. Some ladies bleed for days upon use of the contraceptive while some simply see blood stains. This bleeding is quite different from the normal monthly flow; some ladies still see their period at the normal time or a date later than normal. When this happens, medical attention should be sought. Drug Interaction with Certain drugs inhibit the effectiveness of Postinor-2 as a contraceptive.This drug should be carefully used in people who have certain health conditions. The contraceptive’s effectiveness could be reduced when patients on medications for asthma, epilepsy, renal impairment, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, depression, hypertension, thromboembolic diseases use this pill. The use of this drug with other medications treating these conditions could lead to serious complications.Weight gain has been associated with the use of this pill in some women.Nausea, breast tenderness, headache, lower abdominal pain and tiredness may occur. These adverse effects subside within few days.There is high risk of infertility when ladies often use Postinor-2 wrongly; using more than a tablet at once, combining the pills with other drugs and consuming more than twelve pills in a month.Prolonged use of this emergency contraceptive could cause a woman’s monthly period to seize indefinitely or become irregular. The chance of becoming pregnant with an irregular or non-flowing period can be tiny. It can also affect ovulation cycle, destroying the womb and cause infertility at the long run.
The next time Postinor 2 is used as a medication to prevent pregnancy after shining the sperm into the ovary, intentionally or not, consider if the benefits really outweigh these dangers. Remember, it is not a regular method of contraception.
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