Morning after pill at GCSU
For the past four years, GCSU students getting caught up in the heat of the moment and failing to use birth control or condoms now have the option of receiving more extreme contraceptives the next day.
According to Food and Drug Administration documents, emergency contraceptive pills attempt to prevent pregnancy after vaginal intercourse took place mid-cycle, appropriate contraceptives were not used and the possibility of pregnancy is high.
“The medication consists of eight high dose birth control tablets. The female must take four at the time of the examination and then four more 12 hours later,” said Angie Mason, women’s health nurse practitioner. “It prevents the sperm and egg from fertilization.”
A similar medication, Plan B, was authorized to be sold without a prescription by the FDA to men and women over the age of 18 in August of 2006.
Before student health services began offering the pills, the staff of student health services was forced to send people to the Baldwin County Health Department. The health department provides the pills to the university.
“We were sending a lot of girls to the health department and for that reason we worked out a contract with them to be able to administer the medication over here,” Mason said.
Student health services distributes the medication about four or five times a week.
“I wish our school didn’t have to distribute this medication. I wish that our student body would make more mature decisions,” said Kyle Hood, public administration graduate student.
Even though the medication may erase the mistake of a promiscuous night, it is only intended for occasional use and has its draw backs.
“There are lots of high risks associated with using the pills, but usually young females don’t experience the major symptoms,” Mason said.
Users of the medication may experience severe abdominal pain, nausea, chest pain, headaches and pain in the legs.
Mason advices that this medication is not to serve as the primary means of birth control, and that the emergency contraceptive pills should only be used for one time emergency protection.
“When females come in wanting to use the medication we educate them on proper birth control methods,” said Mason, “we usually don’t repeat treatment.”
“You shouldn’t be stupid and abuse it but mistakes do happen. It is a good safety net,” said Ann Harlen, freshman pre-mass communication major.
Emergency contraceptive pills are not the only contraceptive that student health services offers. Free condoms and sexual literature may be picked up from student health services in Beeson Hall during normal hours. Women’s health exams are also offered on Tuesdays, after these initial exams, student health services can start females on birth control.
Laurene Green, sophomore nursing major, commented, “Either don’t have sex, or be smart about it. If you are old enough to have unsafe sex then you should be old enough to have the responsibility to do the right thing.”
Common side effects of the pill
Irregular bleeding
Women may experience a change in their next period. If your period has not occurred by 21 days after treatment, you should check this out with a pregnancy test.
Ectopic pregnancy
If the morning-after pill fails to prevent pregnancy, there is an increased chance it is a tubal pregnancy.
Nausea
Half of women using this method will experience nausea and some will have vomiting. Take the morning-after pill with food to minimize this side effect.
Other
Common side effects include breast tenderness, fatigue, headache, abdominal pain and dizziness.
Source: www.nyabortion.com
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 29 2008. Filed under News.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
