Patricia Watson, Staff Reporter
FEWER JAMAICAN women will be taking the pill as a form of contraceptive in the next couple of years if a campaign by the National Family Planning Board (NFPB) is successful.
"The National Family Planning Board's emphasis right now is to promote a shift to longer-term methods," NFPB Public Relations Officer Dianne Thomas told The Sunday Gleaner recently.
These longer-term methods include the intrauterine device (IUD), implants such as norplant and injectables. Miss Thomas said the shift is being promoted for several reasons including the cost and the fact that women tend to forget to take the pill.
The overall objective of the campaign, which is in its development stage, will be to increase contraceptive use among Jamaicans. However, women who are not using any form of contraceptives and those in the age group 20 to 29 will be specially targetted to use the long-term methods.
"Over time, the one-time cost for example, the norplant which can last up to six years works out cheaper, it is also not on you to constantly remember to take every day," she said.
According to the NFPB publication Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour Regarding Contracep-tive Methods in Jamaica, women seemed to have real problems with the daily routine of taking the pill (and) spoke of numerous pregnancies which resulted from missing scheduled pill-taking deadlines.
The pill is the most widely used method of contraceptive method among women in Jamaica, especially among those in the age group 20 to 39 years old.
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Current statistics from the NFPB shows that 21.2 per cent of Jamaica's women, between ages 15 and 49 and in some form of relationship, use the pill.
Other forms of contraception used include the condom (17 per cent), tubal ligation (12.3 per cent), injection, withdrawal, IUD, spermicides and implant.
Approximately 34.1 per cent use no form of contraceptives.
The NFPB sells the IUD for $150 and the injectable for $75. It also sells the 28-day pill for $25.
"At the moment we are just developing a comprehensive campaign. We will be making public service announcements targetting those people that visit the clinic," said Leo O'Reggio, assistant director for communications at the NFPB.
He said the campaign will be in two stages, utilising flyers and other educational material and radio and television advertisements dealing with the benefits, side effects and the appropriate persons to use them.
The move by the NFPB comes 24 years after the first contraceptive pill was approved for use by the Jamaican Government, and after previous initiatives by the board to get women to use the pill.
Contraceptive pills contain man-made hormones estrogen and progesterone. They act by mimicking the ones produced naturally each month. The estrogen prevents the egg from maturing and being released from the ovary, thus no egg - no pregnancy. The progesterone causes changes in the lining of the uterus and in the consistency of the cervical mucus.
The change of focus by the NFPB is one that has been practiced at the Women's Centre Foundation of Jamaica.
According to executive director, Pamella McNeil, the prevalence of the pill today is high, but when it pertains to young people she would advise caution in using it as nobody was quite sure of the effects the pill may have later in life.
"We are very wary of any sort of drugs for the very young so what we do here is to encourage them to use condoms or IUD," Mrs. McNeil said.
NFPB Assistant Director Lilieth Mullings agreed with Mrs. McNeil.
"Long-term methods, such as the IUD and Depo Provera (the injectable), are more reliable for our programmes," Mrs. Mullings said.
