It was an accident, like it often is. Sometimes, the nature of the accident is “forgetting” to put on a condom. That’s not what happened with me. Adequate measures were taken to make sure that his sperm couldn’t come in contact with my eggs. We had not one, but several condoms. So proud and responsible. Except, sometimes, life has a different plan for you. Sometimes, no matter how responsible you might be, your fate finds a way to fuck you over (pun intended). Lo and behold, the condom ripped while he was inside me. Much like you must be right now, I also naively believed that that never happened. I had to pay the price for my gullibility by popping an iPill.
Life has never been the same again.
No, I am not joking.
A young and supple body of merely 23 is not equipped to take such copious amounts of hormones that, in all likelihood, are not even needed. I learnt the importance of keeping track of my menstruation cycle only AFTER I gained a few kilos, thanks to the pill. Yes, you read it right. I discovered the agony of instant weight gain, despite eating right and exercising, when I popped the pill. That was side effect number 1. The other horrific thing that happened was that my periods went way off schedule and became heavier. Okay, maybe it doesn’t sound so horrific because most of us know that this happens. But, side effect number 3 left me shocked! A few days after I took the pill, I noticed a spurt of growth of my pubic hair. The density pretty much doubled up and the hair became coarser. This was followed by a lot of money spent on waxing to get my pubes back to normalcy.
Soon after that, I discovered that the iPill is basically half the dosage of an abortion pill. A doctor friend asked me a question that changed my perspective. Here’s what he said: “What are the chances that you will get pregnant? Even if you have sex on your ovulation day, pregnancy often doesn’t happen that easily. Physically, you are better off taking an abortion pill when there is actually something for the hormones to do, rather than taking an emergency contraceptive when no fertilisation has even happened.” I couldn’t argue.
Of course, going through an abortion is an emotionally and physically painful process and not one we can treat so casually. If I were to “have an accident” on my ovulation day, I would probably pop a pill. But, given what it did to my body, I am extra careful that I don’t have to.
Gynaecologists don’t recommend frequent use of the pill, yet many of us pop it like it’s candy (Read what a senior consultant at Apollo Cradle has to say about the pill, on our website, here). There are two simple ways to avoid unwanted pregnancy: Use a condom and track your menstruation cycle! That’s all it takes.
