Vivek threw a party at his place on a weekend, as he just got promoted as Asst. Manager! He invited all his friends and off course his girl friend Simran too. Finally, on Saturday evening everybody turned up and the party was on, drinks, music and lot of good food made the party mood perfect. The party lasted till late in the night and all his friends left except Simran. Vivek asked her to stay back as it was too late for her to go back home.
Once they were done clearing up the mess, Vivek hinted that he wanted to have sex with Simran “Can we do it tonight?” he asked her, but before Simran could say anything Vivek said, “The only problem is that I don’t have any protection tonight”. Simran refused and said, “No ways honey, I am not having sex without any protection!” Vivek then replied saying, “you can always take an I-pill which is shown on the TV, please don’t spoil my mood now” but Simran was adamant and stuck to her word.
There are very few girls like Simran who refuse and demand for protection which is always important when having sex. There is large no. of population who thinks of i-pill as a regular contraceptive to prevent pregnancy after indulging in unprotected sex.
The popularizing Ad Factor
Remember the Saheli Contraceptive ad which used to flash on television in late 90’s. The ad was simple and imparted the right message to the viewer without creating a vogue unlike the i-pill ad which is so popular today. With changing time and advancement of advertisement industry, the ads are hyped and are shown out of proportion on television to attract attention. I-pill is gaining wide spread popularity through its ads. I- pill ads are almost everywhere on TV, newspapers, radio, magazines etc… i-pill undoubtedly has surpassed itself through its unique ads and has reached its target audience giving a solution to avert unwanted pregnancy.
But then are the commercials misleading?
No, they are not. The television commercials of I-pill stands different because of the way it has portrayed its theme which is ‘emergency contraception’. In all the commercials, be it television or print, they are clearly indicating that it is a emergency contraceptive pill. Then whom can we blame for its inappropriate use? The answer is, common people who fail to understand the meaning of the ad. The ad clearly depicts that one can only use I-pill only under emergency cases to avoid the conception. After watching the ad one actually feels that they can take it to avoid pregnancy after having unprotected sex.
What the people have to understand is that i-pill that it is not a regular contraception but an emergency contraceptive pill!
Why is it misused?
- It is often used as regular contraceptive though it is an emergency one.
- It prevents pregnancy by stopping ovulation process and hence is misused by teenagers and unmarried couple on very large scale.
- It is easily available over the counter and doesn’t require doctor’s prescription.
- It is affordable and hence offers an easy escape for those who have unprotected sex.
Side Effects
i-pill contains female hormone levonorgestrel, a progestogen which helps to prevent the ovulation of the egg in the uterus thus preventing the pregnancy. There many side effects which are experienced which are nausea, vomiting, headaches, delaying or early occurrence of menstrual cycle, lower abdominal pain and in some cases excessive vaginal bleeding.
Further if i-pill is not taken an emergency contraception then it can have serious hormonal imbalance in the body and can give rise to serious health problems.
How effective is i-pill?
i- pill is not 100% effective. The pill has a 95% chance of stopping the pregnancy, if taken within 24hours of unprotected sex. Moreover, the pill also doesn’t give protection against AIDS, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. It is advisable to be cautious and use protection to avoid such diseases.
What are Expert’s opinions?
Dr. Sangeeta Pikale, Gynecologist says, ”ECP as the name suggests is for emergencies only and I am very much against its advertisement, it seems to appear as easy way out for unprotected sex. It does not protect from sexually transmitted diseases e.g. HIV and so may mislead the youth.”
Dr. Aniruddha Malpani, famous Gynecologist and Infertility Specialist, who practices in Mumbai, says i-pill as are not misleading. It just is an emergency contraceptive pill and is a tool which one can opt to avoid unwanted pregnancy, there is nothing wrong in the ads according to me”.
The need of the hour is the right awareness about such products which will avoid abortions and people from indulging in unprotected sexual activities. “Sex education is needed and is of utmost important today. Our society is facing this problem because people don’t have enough knowledge to use such products. Introduction to sex education at early stages will work better for today’s youth, adds Dr. Malpani.
So, instead of advertising emergency contraceptives like i-pill, we should focus on educating the youth of today about sex and the practice of safe sex.
