Morning after Pills as Regular Birth Control Pill - Essay Example

Morning after Pills al Affiliation Introduction Almost half of pregnancies in the world are unintended and Emergency contraception provides women opportunity to avoid pregnancy after unprotected intercourse. Emergency contraception are vital for the larger number of women at risk of pregnancy but do not use regular method and offers reassurance to people using condoms but experience condom slippage or breakage (Engelman, 2011, pp. 23-31). Significance of morning-after pills has seen Canada allowing it as a nonprescription drug that pharmacists may dispense it directly to women anytime they need it. The Morning - after pills just like a regular birth control pill although it is much stronger and it functions by preventing ovulation thus avoiding contraception or implantation if ovulation occurs (Ferri, 2012, pp. 285-287). Morning-after pills are common and they play a significant role in preventing an unplanned pregnancy in various situations but the drug is highly abused apart from having some adverse side-effects on its users. When Can the Morning-after pills used? Morning-after pills contain hormones similar to the content of regular birth control pills and they prevent pregnancy primarily by preventing ovaries from releasing eggs. Moreover, the pills usually make cervical mucus thick hence prohibiting sperms from mixing with egg and causing fertilization. The functionally of the pills largely depend on the stage of the menstrual cycle in women. Watkins (2012) believes that depending on the stage of the menstrual cycle, the contraception may delay or stop the release of the egg, change the lining of the uterus, and finally alter the movement of the egg and sperm by limiting their speed (1463-1470). However, the morning-after pills are never effective for pregnancies implanted in the uterus. It should be noted that morning-after pills are not worth relied on and should only be considered as last chance contraception (Ferri, 2012, pp. 285-287). Effectiveness of the morning-after pills is within a certain period including immediately after unprotected intercourse up to 5 days or 120 hours. However, they always work best when taken immediately after unprotected sex instead of waiting for the fifth day because the longer an individual waits for the pills, the lesser their chance of working. Types of Morning-after Pills Ferri (2012) illustrates that there are two hormonal types of morning-after pills whose effectiveness, prices and side effects differ slightly (2855-287). The first type of morning-after pills is known as plan B that contains progestin hormone and is taken as 2 pills. Plan B pills can either be taken immediately or 1 pill taken right away and the other pill taken in 12 hours although taking two pills instantly is easier and effective. Another type of morning-after pills is Ovral pills that contain two hormones including estrogen and progestin and are served in 4 pills. 2 pills of the Ovral pills are taken immediately while the other two are taken 12 hours later. Significantly, the pills are always most effective if taken within 24 hours of unprotected sex although they can be effective up to 5 days or 120 hours after sexual intercourse. Plan B pills effectiveness in the first 24 hours is considered as 95% of possible pregnancies, between 25 and 48 hours, it prevents 85% of possible pregnancies while between 49 and 120 hours the effectiveness drops gradually to 58% at 72 hours. On the other hand, Ovral prevents about 77% of possible pregnancies in the first 24 hours, 36% of possible pregnancies between 25 and 48 hours and the effectiveness further drops to 31% at 72 hours between 49 and 120 hours. Where Morning-after pills are found Emergency contraceptive pills are available in most pharmacies without prescription and sometimes a pharmacist would ask a few questions before giving them out. According to Soon et al. (2005), reclassification of morning-after pills as nonprescription drug, thus letting pharmacists to dispense it directly to women is good news but making consultation with pharmacists mandatory is unwelcomed (845). Cases of abortion have risen both in Canada and globally and almost 50% of pregnancies are unintended regardless of the wider availability of contraceptive methods perhaps because of timely access to physicians. In that case, introducing morning-after pills in pharmacies without prescription is a huge step that will avoid the many cases of abortion and unintended pregnancies (Guzzo & Hayford, 2012, pp. 158-165). It is apparent that the move of allowing morning-after pills in the pharmacies will definitely balance access to the pills for all women across Canada hence a net reduction in abortion. Watkins (2012) explains that improving access to emergency contraception is significant for a comprehensive program that addresses women’s reproductive and sexual health and is important to the health of teenaged girls and young women (1465-1472). Morning-after pills need to be readily available to both rural and urban women and its accessibility must respect women’s right to privacy in addition to seeking to prevent an unintended pregnancy. Schalet (2011, pp. 131-135) posits that access behind the counter may help in reducing unintended pregnancy because the pills are harmless, effective, and easy to use medication that only requires timeliness. Although privacy may be impossible because the drugs are purchased in public places, taking it off the shelf and directly to the checkout offers a higher degree of privacy (Haussman, 2013, pp. 123). Additionally, making morning-after pills available over the counter provides several options of purchasing the drug thus enhancing privacy. This is because a buyer may avoid either friends or people they know working in the nearby pharmacy that may perhaps interfere with their privacy. It is argued that consultations with the pharmacists may be a good idea because they are qualified individuals whose counseling may be regarded significant when it comes to contraceptive options. Proponents of pharmacist consultation assert that pharmacists usually have frontline contact with their clients and possess the right qualifications required to provide emergency contraception even though they are not taught counseling in universities. On the other hand, according to Soon (2005), anti-pharmacists counseling feel that only a few pharmacists may offer the privacy necessary for such kind of consultation and that the consultation fees attached may act as barrier to many women (845). Moreover, history of self-administered morning-after pills shows high level of appropriate use and therefore competent women who have experienced contraceptive failure or a lapse in caution do not need unwanted questioning or unsought advice. In cases where clients may not be able to purchase the morning-after pills, the pharmacists refer them to the doctors (Engelman, 2011, pp. 75-83). How Often Should Morning-After Pills Used Recurring use and acquaintance of morning-after pill is of worrying considering that the pills have become more available than through various channels including over-the counter pharmacies. Women have used the morning-after pills either once annually or severally yet there are some significant health implications attributed to the repeated use of the pills (Ferri, 2012, pp. 285-287). Some of the challenges include menstrual complaints, which is the leading problem and other complaints such as breast tenderness, dizziness, and depression. However, little is known concerning the long-term health implications considering that schemes have been created to increase the pills availability. Tracking repeated use of morning-after pills may not be easy because women may use different sources but remains listed as a single user at every source. (Haussman, 2013, pp. 32-41) Controverting arguments have been raised by different sources such as Princeton University’s office of population that assert that repeated use of morning-after pills do not have any effect on the users. Considering the limit on the number of times morning-after pills may be used, Princeton University’s Office of Population Research (2013) explains that there are no safety concerns about using progestin-only emergency pills more than once (Web). It is argued that morning after pills will always prove effective when used in preventing unintended pregnancy after intercourse provided it is used appropriately. However, sexually active individuals should resort to other birth control techniques such as condoms and or pills before or during intercourse instead of continuous use of the morning-after pills (Engelman, 2011, pp. 141-148). In some instances, the morning after pills may have some unpleasant side effects and should therefore not used repeatedly. Sexually active people need to talk to their health care providers or check out for better birth control technique options for safety and effectiveness of the methods chosen. As the saying goes, too much of something may be dangerous and therefore repeated use of morning-after pills may have adverse effects on the users. Choosing the right birth control technique It is important to note that morning-after pills only give a second chance to prevent pregnancy after sex and is therefore not as effective as birth control methods used before or during sex. Moreover, morning-after pills do not provide advantages that are evident in some birth control methods such as condoms that protect against sexually transmitted infections, something that emergency contraceptives cannot offer. According to Finer & Zolna (2014), there are several kinds of birth control techniques existing today although choosing amongst them may at times prove tricky (43-48). Importantly, even after figuring out the best contraceptive method, there is possibility of alternating the techniques depending what takes place in a woman’s life after use. The type of contraception chosen by a woman may sometimes depend on the number of times a woman have sex, or deciding to use the birth control either monthly, weekly or even immediately before engaging in sex. In addition, the time an individual may want to have children may have an effect on the type of contraception to use or even a health condition that limits birth control options. Finer & Zolna (2014) assert that the morning-after pills tend to help solving the solution of unwanted pregnancies particularly growing teenage pregnancies (43-47). However, it is vital to note that the pills do not prevent spread of sexually transmitted infections that have been on the rise especially amongst teenagers. Teenagers and other adults who engage in unsafe sex without considering the issues of unwanted pregnancies sometimes abuse morning - after pills. Unwanted pregnancies and the wider use of the pills is really worrying. Youths and teenagers engage in unsafe sex knowing very well that morning-after pills are available in case of any unintended pregnancy (Schalet, 2011, pp. 53-62). It is therefore advisable that the pills are used appropriately because they may have some negative effects on others and that they are only useful in times of emergencies but not always. Morning-after pills are not part of birth control techniques because they are only used after sex but not before or during sex. Side effects Inadequate scientific understanding of the morning-after pill operations imposes a great threat in its prescription. However, health risks of the morning-after pills are available in whatever has been proven in clinical trials as well as numerous unproven things. Some of the side effects are nausea, low abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, dizziness, breast tenderness, vomiting, and many other undesirable effects (Herring, 2012, pp. 259-260). There are also challenges of migraine, depressive moods, changes in body weight and libido, as well as changes in the pattern of menstrual cycle that are prevalent amongst women especially in cases of Levonelle and Amenorrhoea. Mostly, doctors usually advice their patients to return when they experience lower abdominal pain because such kind of pain may mean ectopic pregnancy. In case of improbability regarding unprotected sex or a woman had earlier engaged in unprotected sex more than 72 hours in the same menstrual cycle then perhaps conception occurred and treatment of the second intercourse may not be effective. Moreover, morning-after pill has contributed to other health risks such as sexually transmitted infections. The rise in STI amongst youths and teenagers has been alarming their main problem is unintended pregnancies that remedy but not STIs. Although the main aim of the government is reducing unintended pregnancies amongst teenagers and young people in general as well as controlling population, very little is done to manage STIs (Watkins, 2012, pp. 1462-1472). Young women contract STIs more easily because they have fewer protective antibodies and are sexually active people who are likely to have more than one partner. Management of Chlamydia requires women screened for the infection before they take morning-after pills but distribution of the pills over the counter severely curtails follow up. Despite all the disadvantages accrued by using the morning-after pills, it is important to ascertain how effective they are by considering both medical and social efficacy. Medical Effectiveness The initial need to visit doctors permeated the use of morning-after pill with both medical and moral intensity but the increased ease of obtainability has induced a more relaxed and unplanned attitude to sexual encounters. Medically, it may not be easy to ascertain the number of people using morning-after pills and the adequate use of the pills. This makes the only option remaining is estimation but calculations used in determining medical effectiveness are not based on higher quality. However, it is estimated that the pills have successfully controlled unintended pregnancy by higher percentage. The estimation may not be applicable to the daily reality especially because there are always no control groups while conducting such kind of studies or approximations. Perhaps the effectiveness of the pills are overestimated because of several reasons such as increased access and willingness of the doctors to prescribe it that has prompted young people to perceive it as an alternative contraception method. Social Effectiveness There is a common perception that enhancing and spreading knowledge about availability of morning-after pills may lower the number of unintended pregnancies particularly teenage pregnancies. However, there is no evidence that shows that increasing availability of morning-after pills will reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy especially amongst teenagers and the experience of use. Finer & Zolna (2014) explain that the truth of the matter is that the prescription of morning-after pills has gone high but it cannot be directly linked with the effect it has on unintended pregnancies (43-46). Additionally, it is worth noting that condom has widely been promoted than morning-after pills making condom more popular and the most preferred birth control technique to morning-after pills (Watkins, 2012, pp. 1464-1469). Contraception failure especially condom mishap has largely contributed to higher percentage of morning-after pill usage amongst Canadian women and other women around the world. Latest Canadian issue regarding Morning-after pills Branswell (2014) of the Canadian press pointed out at the fact that Health Canada are trying to investigate the efficacy of the morning-after pills amongst larger women (Web). She asserts that the Federal drug regulator assesses latest data indicating that there is reduction of the pills’ effectiveness amongst women with larger weights and further investigates whether alternating labeling for pills may solve the problem. The new data became a concern barely two months after French manufacturer HRA Pharma made an announcement that there pills are never effective on women weighing more than 176 pounds. Following the announcement, the Canadian department of health made a commitment of working with both the manufacturers and consumers to ensure effectiveness of the contraception. This kind of information is an indication of how different governments are committed to ensuring that unwanted unintended pregnancies are prevent as much as possible. Conclusion Morning-after pills are common and they play a significant role in preventing an unplanned pregnancy in various situations but the drug is highly abused apart from having some adverse side-effects on its users. Morning-after pills have been effective in preventing fertilization from taking place (Herring, 2012, pp. 240). Although they are called morning-after pills, it does not mean that the pills should be taken the morning after unprotected sex and may be taken up to 120 hours immediately after unprotected sex. Even though there have been a few complications and side effects of using the pills, millions of women have used them safely and effectively making the benefits outweigh the risks in all situations. It is also evident that apart from the perceived use or action of morning-after pills, very little has been done to ascertain its efficacy and publicity considering that the current medical practice is evidence based. Thorough evaluation regarding morning-after pills should be considered and the main idea behind it, preventing unintended pregnancy should not be abused. Proponents and specialists such as pharmacists need to ask themselves what they have achieved so far in their support for morning-after pills. Morning-after pills prevent an unplanned pregnancy in various situations including; when no contraception was used, missed birth control pills, the condom slipped or broke, the diaphragm dislodged during sexual intercourse, error in the calculation of the fertility period and non-consensual sexual intercourse. References Branswell, Helen. (2014, January 30). ‘Morning After Pill Canada: Health Canada Studying Efficacy Of Contraceptive. Huffington Post, pp. 1A. Rretrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/01/30/morning-after-pill-canada_n_4697829.html Engelman, P. (2011). A History of the Birth Control Movement In America. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger. Ferri, F. F. (2012). Ferris Clinical Advisor 2012: 5 Books in 1. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Mosby. Finer, L. B., & Zolna, M. R. (2014). Shifts in Intended and Unintended Pregnancies in the United States, 2001-2008. American Journal of Public Health, 104(1), S43-S48. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1499838478?accountid=45049 Guzzo, K. B., & Hayford, S. (2012). Race-Ethnic Differences in Sexual Health Knowledge. Race and Social Problems, 4(3-4), 158-170. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12552-012-9076-4 Haussman, M. (2013). Reproductive Rights and the State: Getting the Birth Control, RU-486, Morning - After Pills, and the Gardasil Vaccine to the U.S. Market. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger. Herring, J. (2012). Medical Law and Ethics. Oxford, U.K: Oxford University Press. Princeton University. (2013). The Emergency Contraception Website. Princeton.edu. Retrieved from http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/ecrepeated.html Schalet, A. T. (2011). Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Soon et al. (2005, March 29). Emergency contraception moves behind the counter. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 172 (7), 845. Retrirved from http://www.cmaj.ca/content/172/7/845.full.pdf+html Watkins, E. S., PhD. (2012). How The PILL Became A LIFESTYLE DRUG: The Pharmaceutical Industry and Birth Control In The United States Since 1960. American Journal of Public Health, 102(8), 1462-1472. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1039281399?accountid=45049 Read More