I am getting side effects from a pill

What you need to know:

  • Any woman on this pill whether bleeding or not, requires regular breast and cancer of the cervix check-ups apart from checking for pregnancy once periods are missed.

I bought this Chinese herbal pill three months ago but I have since not had my period and when I have sex with my husband, I bleed. What can I do?
Serena

Dear Serena,
For one to choose a contraceptive method, availability, cost, effectiveness, route, convenience or frequency of administration and side effects are usually put into consideration.
Many Ugandan women out of administration convenience are self-prescribing the Chinese once a month contraceptive pills despite not being aware about the contents, side effects or effectiveness since their labels are in Chinese. The convenient once a month Chinese contraceptive pills are on sale in many herbal clinics yet they are not herbal but contain high doses of oestrogen and progestogen, (about 40 times those in conventional contraceptives).

The side effects of these pills apart from affecting the mothers may lead to having children with abnormalities such as enlarged breasts and uterus. Breastfeeding children may also develop swollen feet, knock knees and stunted speech.
Whereas these pills may have long term side effects, for the time being it may be difficult to assess them but many mothers on the pill risk blood clots, troublesome bleeding or missing periods, feeling pregnant all the time, depression, nausea, headaches, weight gain, and breast pain.

Whereas conventional hormonal contraceptives kill sexual appetite, the once a month pill instead increases libido making them more the darlings of women. Any woman on this pill whether bleeding or not, requires regular breast and cancer of the cervix check-ups apart from checking for pregnancy once periods are missed.
Also, bleeding after sex requires your husband to go for a medical check up because sometimes it could be the man ejaculating blood due to prostate problems.