Insinuations that family planning pills cause cancer in women have been dismissed as a ruse and unfounded theory.
Abia State Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs. Iheama Adanma Kelechi, who stated this during a sensitisation outreach at the School of Health Technology Aba, urged women to ignore conspiracy theories not based on empirical studies or verifiable facts.
She explained that contrary to insinuations and wrong perceptions in some quarters, family planning pills are safe as they only work with the woman's hormones.
According to her, family planning also includes a natural method of birth control that does not involve the consumption of pills, adding that women are at liberty to embrace any method that suits them best.
In her contribution, the State Social Behavioural Change Communication Officer in charge of the Delivering Innovation in Self Care (DISC) project, Dr Veronica Eze, said that the project powered by the Society for Family Health (SFH), was aimed at assisting families have effective birth control plan.
She said that the essence of the five-year project which would wind up later this year, was to create awareness and demand for self-injection of Sayana press (birth control injection) to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
According to her, the idea is to help families plan the number of children they want to have.
She said that they conducted outreaches and mobilised canvassers to visit health centres and communities to sensitise women on the gains of embracing family planning.
Dr Eze expressed delight that despite initial skepticism and some misconceptions that greeted the project at inception in 2019, Abia State had already recorded about 80% compliance within five years.
" We promote Sayana press which is a self-injectable contraceptive. It's a product of the Society for Family Health aimed at helping couples determine the family size, number, and sex of their children.
" We empower mobilisers to get into the communities and health facilities to educate women on the gains of family planning. We talk to the women to go to the clinics and get family planning services. We are happy with the success rate. Women now come on their own for family planning counselling."
She urged the state government to step in and sustain the tempo "as the DISC project winds down this year" so that the gains so far recorded, would not be eroded.
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Harping on the need to sustain the project, Dr Eze noted that failure to embrace family planning would lead to uncontrolled birth which could trigger population explosion, starvation, and an increase in crime rate among other associated ills.
Dr Eze, however, admitted that family planning pills could lead to "a little weight gain of about 1-3 kg in some women, and irregular menstruation, but added that the side effects could be corrected.
In his remark, the Rector of Abia State School of Health Technology Aba, Mr Aloy Okezie, commended the efforts of the team and expressed willingness to partner with them.
He, however, advocated natural family planning methods as practised by the traditional Igbo families before the advent of contraceptives.
Meanwhile, a nursing mother (name withheld) who came to the clinic at the school for family planning counselling, told SEV that she opted for it with the consent of her husband to avoid another childbirth.
The 36-year-old mother of five whose last baby is six weeks old, said she did not want any accidental pregnancy, hence the decision to come for family planning.
