• Having been married for five years, Mildred said they agreed to have their first child when they turn 40.
• “We went to a clinic in Nairobi and the contraceptive was removed. And we started trying to get a baby. We had been led to believe that getting pregnant is way easier than it actually is,” she said.
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When Mildred, 40, was ready to get pregnant, she and her husband went to the hospital and her contraceptive was removed.
She had an IUD for five years before she made up her mind she wanted a child.
Having been married for five years, Mildred said they agreed to have their firstborn when they turned 40.
“So we went to a clinic in Nairobi and the contraceptive was removed. And we started trying to get a baby. We had been led to believe that getting pregnant is way easier than it actually is,” she said.
It's well known that it's more difficult for older women to get pregnant. But there are other reasons.
Mildred said after a year, she did not conceive and started to worry.
“I began doubting my capabilities. What if I was the problem? I visited the hospital but was told that I was fertile. So what was the problem?” she asked.
She said her five-year marriage began crumbling as her husband didn't understand why she wasn't pregnant though they had tried for months.
“I started being frustrated. I started using herbs to ensure that I got pregnant. This did not work. I started fasting because maybe my sins were catching up with me,” she said.
After two years of struggle, Mildred finally got pregnant.
Research published in the British Medical Journal indicates that how quickly a woman becomes pregnant depends on the type of contraceptive she used.
Women who came off injectable contraceptives, the report indicated, had to wait for five to eight months to become pregnant, while those who stopped using patches had a four-month wait.
Users of the Pill took, on average, three months, while women who stopped using implants, including IUDs, reported getting pregnant two months later.
Speaking to the Star, obstetrician and gynaecologist John Nyamu said use of contraceptives could hinder faster conception.
“Some hormones cause delays in conception. This is when you are injected with a drug that interferes with your flow and also your hormones. These kinds of hormones will also ensure that your pregnancy is delayed,” he said.
Nyamu said once a woman gets off a contraceptive, she should be given other medication to reverse its effects.
“Once you get off the contraceptive, it will take you roughly three months to one year to get pregnant so you either must be patient or look for the medication for reversal,” he said.
But Mildred is just one among many women who struggle to conceive after they stop using contraceptives.
Natalia* 30 tells the Star that when she stopped using contraceptives, she was told that she could not bear any more children.
With one child, Natalia decided on three-year spacing but when she stopped using contraceptives it took five years before she could conceive.
“I went to my gynecologist who told me that my tubes might be blocked and that is why I was unable to get pregnant,” she said.
Worried about what society would think of her if she did not get a baby boy, Natalia said she tried everything but there was no change.
“I even visited the herbalists and turned to God but I could not conceive.
Finally, a gynecologist gave her medication.
“After a few weeks, I got pregnant. I did not know why. Was it the doctor? The herbalist or God? I was confused but I was pregnant,” she said.
Gynaecologist Nyamu said once a contraceptive is removed, the cause of delayed pregnancy should be investigated.
“If it takes longer than usual, go for a check up. Your tubes might be blocked or maybe you have an infection making pregnancy impossible,” he said.
Then, there's your partner.
“The sperm might be of low quality but the best way to remove all doubts is to visit a specialist. Check the cause, get medication to induce ovulation.”
Among the 1.9 billion women of reproductive age (15-49 years) worldwide in 2019, 1.1 billion need family planning; of these, 842 million are using contraceptives.
About 270 million have unmet needs for contraception.