The sale of morning-after contraceptive pills for women has gone up in the last one year. The increased sales have, however, had no impact on the number of abortions in the city.
The sale of morning-after contraceptive pills for women has gone up in the last one year. The increased sales have, however, had no impact on the number of abortions in the city.
Dnyaneshwar Narhare, president, Chemists Association of Pune, said, "The sale of most popular brands of morning-after pills has increased by around 45 per cent in the last six months. The overall market for such pills has grown by 30 per cent."u00a0
"Thanks to the massive amount spent on advertising brands like I-Pill, Unwanted-72, EC2, E-Pill and Norlevo, sales have shot up. We sell around two or three boxes of these morning-after pills daily," said Arun Agarwal, proprietor, Poona Drugs.
City doctors, however, say that the easy availability of morning-after pills have had no impact on the number of abortions undertaken in the city.
Dr Pratiksha Pawar, a gynecologist at the Sai Seva Nursing Home, said, "The rising sale of morning-after pills has not affected the rate of abortions in Pune. The number of patients, mostly aged between 18 and 25 years, who come to us for abortions, has not changed at all in the last one year."u00a0u00a0u00a0
Another gynaecologist, Dr Archana Chavan fromu00a0 the Chavan nursing home, confirmed that the number of patients who come for abortions has remained unchanged for the last six months. "Often, the pills do not work because users are ignorant about its correct usage. Women do not follow the instructions. Many do not consume it within the stipulated time," Chavan added.
Worryingly, doctors say the consumption of morning-after pills can cause hormonal imbalance in some women.u00a0
Dr Leela Kuste, a gynaecologist said, "Often, these morning-after pills disturb a women's menstrual cycle and cause heavy bleeding. I get at least one patient a week who comes here with a complaint connected to the consumption of morning-after pills. Fifty per cent of these women complain of heavy bleeding during their periods."
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