Unplanned pregnancies are very common in Uganda today, leading to high levels of unplanned births, unsafe abortions, and maternal injury and death because most pregnancies that end in abortion are unwanted, nearly all ill health and mortality resulting from unsafe abortion is preventable. According to the 2011 Uganda, demographic and health survey, more than four in 10 births (43%) are unplanned. The proportion of births that are unplanned is higher among rural, poor and less educated women than among the urban, wealthier and better educated counterparts. On average, women in Uganda have 6.2 children but only intended to have 4.5 children.
Contraception is the voluntary prevention of pregnancy in both males and females. Contraceptive use remains very low in Uganda. Only 26% of married women and 43% of sexually active unmarried women use a modern method. Furthermore, one in three married women is not using contraceptives even though they do not want to conceive. So many youths are ignorant about contraception because sex education is abandoned in Ugandan schools. And this has highly affected mostly the girl child since they end up conceiving and this forces them to drop out of school and this has highly determined their path downward owing to the fact that once they drop out chances of them getting back on track are so minimal close to 10%.
Reproductive health Uganda is one of the organizations that have come up to help solve this problem. It focuses on the youth in general , Educate them about sex education with the help of the youth connect team that empowers and teach the youth about contraceptive and sex education through our amazing articles.
some of the contraceptive methods are as follows.
FIG. 1.1: THE CHAT ABOVE SHOWS THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONTRACEPTIVES
COITUS INTERRUPTUS; which most of us know as the withdrawal method or pull out method. The primary cause of failure in this contraceptive method is lack of self control. The coitus interruptus has over 27% failure.
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING METHOD OF CONTRACEPTIVE; this one mainly deals with the natural ways one can prevent pregnancies like fertility awareness, periodic abstinence, and abstinence in high fertility times and so many others.
BARRIER METHOD; this type of contraceptive does not only prevent pregnancies but also protects against STI (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) this is one of the most used type of contraceptive. It includes barriers like condoms, diaphragm, cervical cap, and contraceptive sponge.
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES; one of the most commonly used methods of contraceptives. Many know it as ‘the pill’; it contains either estrogen or progestin (hormones) or just progestin. These are taken once daily. They prevent the ovaries from releasing an egg and it also thickens cervical mucus so sperm cannot go through it.
CERVICAL CAP; this thimble-shaped silicon cap fits over the cervix to block the entrance of the uterus and is often used with spermicides.
TRANS DERMAL PATH; a small patch that sticks on upper outer arm, lower abdomen, upper body or buttocks. Contains estrogen and progestin which are released to slowly into the body and absorbed by the skin. And prevents pregnancy in the same way as the oral contraceptive.
INTRAUTERINE DEVICES; are a small T.shaped device inserted into the uterine cavity and sterilization.
VIRGINAL CONTRACEPTIVE RING; this is a flexible ring that releases progestin and estrogen
Therefore choosing one or more methods of contraception is a personal decision and depends on your overall health. Your age, the frequency of your sexual activity, the number of sexual partners you have, whether you want to have children in the future or not, and even your family history of specific diseases.
But as far as preventing sexually transmitted diseases are concerned you should take note that it is only condoms that can prevent them, all the other types of contraception cannot prevent sexually transmitted diseases so people need to know their options and what they have at risk.
So the youth need to keep true to the dreams of your youth. No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can chose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother.
lilianfrankie 