Bulawayo out of emergency contraceptives after sex-fuelled Christmas

BULAWAYO has run out of emergency contraceptives, better known as ‘the morning after' pill after sex-fuelled Christmas and New Year's holidays celebrations, pharmacists warned yesterday.

Chronicle conducted a snap survey in 15 pharmacies in the city centre who said their stocks dried out in the last few weeks as they were overwhelmed by customers.

Pharmacists also said they have run out of pregnancy test kits, which also sold like hot cakes.
The generic name for the tablet is levenorgestrel and its brand name is Plan B. The tablet is used to avoid pregnancy up to 72 hours after unprotected sex.

Chronicle's request to get the pill was mostly met by, "sorry they are out of stock at the moment".
The pill costs between $4 to $6 while home pregnancy test kits are pegged at $1.

Most pharmacists said while the emergency contraceptive sells well across all ages, including married men and women, it has a ready market during the holidays when youths seemingly engage in risky sexual behaviour.

"During the festive season, our customers range from the ages of 20 to 30 and sometimes some of the people who buy them are so young that you're shocked they're sexually active," said one pharmacist.

Another pharmacist added: "I would like to believe it's the excitement that causes people to throw caution to the wind and engage in unprotected sex during major holidays."

Pharmacists also said the pill sold more after music shows in the city.
"For example, when Kalawa Jazmee group was in town on December 27, we sold many pills in the morning. It's a trend that people buy these tablets after night shows," said the pharmacist.

He added that while condoms sell fast on Fridays, the morning after pill is on demand between Sunday and Monday.
The survey also revealed that more men than women come into the pharmacy to buy the pill for their women.

A female pharmacist said: "Women are generally shy I think to walk up to us and ask for morning afters, so they let the men do it. In some instances, I think some of the men will be buying for their ‘small houses'."

The pharmacists said there was generally no harm if the pill was used once per month, but they said it was important for couples to try using condoms and other contraceptive methods.

He said: "A car also has emergency breaks. When you keep applying these, eventually they don't function properly. That's the same with this pill. It's supposed to be for emergencies and not used as an alternative to family planning."

Pharmacists said prolonged use of morning  after pills can affect the menstrual cycle and cause fertility problems. They warned excessive use can also result in early, heavier and more painful periods.

"It's like jump-starting the body. While one can safely use them at most once a month, it's safer to stick to other methods of preventing pregnancy, like condoms which can also prevent sexually-transmitted infections," said another pharmacist, who expects a delivery of the pill next week.

Emergency contraceptives can be taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex and they temporarily stop the release of an egg from the ovary, prevent fertilisation and also prevent a fertilised egg from attaching itself to the uterus.