Women motivated to try latest contraceptives

Scotland, November 10: Ministers are planning to launch a fresh family planning campaign in 2009, requesting Scottish women to move on from the conventional and once-revolutionary contraceptive, Pill, to novel implants and injections.

This move has been initiated as the newer alternatives are considered to be safe and reliable in the long run.

But critics have cautioned beforehand that if older women go in for the change, they could face difficulty in conceiving later. This is attributed to the fact that it could take months for natural fertility to resurface after it is terminated by taking these newest forms of contraception.

On the positive side, ministers feel that the campaign will be beneficial in pruning down the number of unwanted pregnancies in Scotland. This leads to scores of women going in for abortions. Maximum number of these cases is a result of women forgetting to take the Pill.

Ever since the 1980’s, this will be the first national sexual health social marketing campaign. It is estimated to cost 270,000 pounds.

The latest movement, aimed at enhancing sexual health, will have improving safe sex, among gay and bisexual men in particular, as its core area of focus.

The initial stage of the campaign will concentrate on trying to overcome the stigma that is still associated with discussions pertaining to sexual health and habits.

Shona Robison, Public Health Minister, was quoted as saying, “Knowledge is power and by increasing knowledge and providing better information - for instance, about risk-taking behaviour - people will be able to make more informed choices. The aim of the campaign is to reduce both unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.”

As per ministers, during the first few stages, the campaign was focused on creating a more “positive culture” before the emphasis shifted to something specific. These issues include longer-acting reversible contraception.

This move is of great significance in today’s day and age where a couple has various options on how to go about planning their family. Apart from the natural methods, there are hormonal methods as well as intrauterine devices etc which can help in birth control.

Since there are many misconceptions associated with contraceptives, it is important that people are aware of the facts so that they can opt for the best method suited to them.