Sadly, Chocolate Is Not A Contraceptive

A survey recently done in the UK shows that huge amounts of wrong information are still circulating about contraception, including some women who think that chocolate, chicken skins, Coca-Cola, and kebabs could be used as contraception.

The BBC reported on this survey done in the UK among 1,000 women from 18- to 50-years-old and the authors state that the continuance of myths is not surprising considering the high rates of unplanned pregnancies in the UK.

One dangerous myth believed about the Birth Control Pill is that it can protect against HIV. This is not true. It never has been and never will be. It is clearly stated all over the medical inserts in the packaging, and, hopefully doctors and educators will continue to reinforce the need for condoms when prescribing pills.

Another, more common myth, believed by 10% of respondents in this survey is that after stopping using the Pill it can take years to regain fertility. Again, not true. This one particularly bothers me because if women stopped for a moment and considered how the pill works they would not continue to believe this myth. The pill needs to be taken every 24 hours otherwise there is a chance the woman could become pregnant. As well, the majority of women who do become pregnant while taking the pill do so because they have taken it incorrectly. This is because the hormones that work to prevent pregnancy only last in the body for about a day, thus, rather than waiting years to regain fertility, it is a matter of hours.

I hope that the results of this survey will encourage public health educators to continue their good works and educate women about their choices in contracepetion and how these work with their bodies. I also encourage women to ask questions to their doctors, for one should never take a drug without full informed consent and knowing how their health might be affected, this could be potentially dangerous, or even fatal, for example among those women who incorrectly think the pill protects against HIV.