Things I wish I was told about contraception

News

07/05/2018

Tshegofatso Senne gives a truthful account of her experiences with contraception as a teenager and a young adult

Every day at 5pm my mother’s phone would sound an alarm. More often than not, this would prompt her to reach into her handbag and ask me to get her a glass of juice or water so that she can take a little pill. It was only when I was in my teens that I realised that what she’d been taking for years was contraception.

As a pretty inquisitive child, I had read books, both those that I had found myself and others that my parents had given me in an effort to satisfy my curiosity and answer just some of my plenty of questions.

In those same teens, I found out that the benefits of contraception went beyond simply not falling pregnant. As someone who’d battled with incredibly painful periods all through high school, having to be in the sick room because of fainting and vomiting, I quickly went straight to my mother. Hoping she’d understand the benefits of the pill she herself had been taking for years, I was met with a surprising amount of disdain and probing questions.

My mother isn’t one to assume things about her children. Hell, at the time I was very honest about the fact that many of my friends were dating and I was choosing not to, so I was quite taken aback when she flat out refused for me to consider taking the pill. Telling me that it would encourage me to become sexually active at an early age (me, who was still nervous about kissing people) and that she didn’t think it would be a good idea, I chose to give up the fight. You might have seen this on MTV Shuga Naija, where Uncle Cyril threw Leila’s contraception away because he thought it would encourage her to have sex.

Over time, things changed. A couple of years later, I walked into Campus Health after excitedly finding out that I could not only get contraception on campus but it was also free!

I nervously filled out the forms with a friend of mine who, having gotten her own pills months before, knew the way things worked. After a long wait and an underwhelming short session with the nurse, I was given a box of Nordette, a few instructions, and was sent well on my way.  At the time I was sexually active and walked out of that clinic happy with the fact that I had taken control of two issues in one – I had now lowered my chances of falling pregnant and I was hoping that my increasingly painful period pains would ease up.

It’s 6 years later and I haven’t been on The Pill since. While I protect myself when having sex with other people, I decided that The Pill was not for me. I’ve considered plenty of other forms of contraception with the exception of the injection (because I can barely handle looking at needles let alone voluntarily getting pricked every couple of months). What I do hope is that should I choose to find another contraception, I’ll use the resources available to me and pick one that doesn’t make me feel ill for months, feeling as though I have no other choice. Because there are always other choices.

I wish I had known a lot more before I ended up on the option I used. I wish I had sat down with the nurse and asked exactly how the experience would be, perhaps even found out how many of the preconceived notions I already had were even true. Speaking through my options with someone could’ve lead me to other forms of contraception I didn’t even know were available to me. I wish I had done myself the favour of exploring the options available before committing to one. While physical and financial access may be a hurdle, knowing my options before would’ve been my best bet. Finding out the side-effects and getting some advice from people who have personal experience would’ve aided me even more. We’re all different, and contraception has different effects on each of us. However, there are so many options out there that there will surely be one that works best for you.

You do not have to make a fast decision, but rather the one that works best for you. I’ve made a short list of some questions you can ask yourself and a healthcare provider before making your decision:

  • What are the options available to me and can I get more information on each?
  • What are the pros and cons of each option?
  • What are the costs?
  • How will each of these affect me – physically and mentally?
  • Will it affect how I experience my period?
  • Is it easy to access in the area I live in?
  • Does it reduce sexual pleasure?
  • Will it interfere with any medication I may already be taking?
  • How good is my memory? Will this affect which option I choose? (For example, will you remember to take your pill daily?)
  • Does it have any health benefits?
  • How does it compare to your previous method (if this isn’t your first time)?
  • Will it affect any medical conditions you have?

Leila looked to be on the right path after asking a few of the questions above, before Uncle Cyril intervened. However, as we saw in Episode 9, his decision to prevent her from accessing contraception had some serious consequences. As Aunty Uju asked, none of this would have happened if she had been on birth control in the first place.

With more information and a little less judgement, we could easily allow so many people who need access to contraception to have them. Empower yourself will all the information you need before settling on one method. Happy researching!

If you’re ever looking to learn more about contraceptives in your own time, some of these articles below will help:
http://bhekisisa.org/article/2016-05-15-the-five-best-contraceptives-backed-by-science
https://www.mariestopes.org.za/contraceptives/

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