• 26 per cent of women who do not use contraception said it was because of fear of side effects while 24 per cent said they have infrequent sex or none at all.
• 23 per cent said they are opposed to contraception while 20 per cent said they were breastfeeding or postpartum and not menstruating.
Image: /COURTESY
Globally, around 257 million women who want to avoid pregnancy, are not using safe, modern methods of contraception.
Among them, 172 million are using no method of contraception at all.
This is according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which says that contraception is the most obvious way to prevent unintended pregnancy.
While there have been major strides in creating awareness of contraception, UNFPA said that one of the biggest hindrances is still false information.
26 per cent of women who do not use contraception said it was because of fear and experience of side effects.
“24 per cent said they have infrequent sex or none at all, 23 per cent said they are opposed to contraception while 20 per cent said they were breastfeeding or postpartum and not menstruating,” they said.
Every year on September 26, Kenya joins the world in celebrating World Contraception Day.
This year, the theme is: Breaking Myths thus, UNFPA embarked on debunking myths and misconceptions that stop women from using contraception.
Among the myths is that contraceptives are only for women who have already given birth.
UNFPA says that contraceptives can be used by people who have not given birth too.
“In fact, some contraceptives may even be prescribed for people who are not having sex at all to address acne or endometriosis,” they said.
Another myth is that contraceptives cause infertility in women and sterility or impotence in men.
“Most contraceptive methods are temporary and do not cause infertility. Methods like tubal ligation and vasectomy are meant to be permanent, but even those can, in some cases, be reversed,” they said.
Some people also believe that contraceptives are a form of abortion and may cause promiscuity.
UNFPA says that contraceptives prevent pregnancies, they do not terminate them and are not a cause for risky sexual behaviour.
“It is also a myth that contraceptives cause cancer because it has been found that certain contraceptives can help reduce the risk of certain cancers,” they added.
Some people also believe that some contraceptives like implants and IUDs move around a woman’s body.
The reality is that implants are designed to stay where they are implanted, and the same goes for IUDs in the uterus unless they were incorrectly inserted.
While all methods can fail or be used incorrectly, UNFPA says the biggest issue by far is people not being able to get the contraception that they need, when they need it.
Many women also have concerns about side effects, which can be dismissed by health providers.
“Their contraceptive needs might also change over time, which health systems aren’t always responsive to, while alternative methods may be in short supply or not available at all,” they said.
UNFPA said there needs to do more research into other kinds of contraceptives, including those with fewer side effects as well as contraceptives for men.