To the Editor:
Re: “Contraceptive used in Africa May Double Risk of H.I.V.” by Pam Bullock, Oct. 3rd, 2011. As a public health student, the future prevalence of H.I.V. is of importance to me. This article highlighted a recent study, which found injectable birth control might increase risk of contracting H.I.V. The study cited the popularity of injectable birth control due to its ease and the fact that it does not require administration from a doctor.
Although there is merit to the idea that women should use the birth control option that is easiest, the study revealed a severe downfall to this method. One option that is not thoroughly explored by this article is the use of intrauterine devices (IUDs), which have extremely high efficacy and a lifespan of up to ten years. In other countries there has been great success in training nurses to administer IUDs, which would eliminate the need for a doctor in the process. IUDs are not linked to higher incidence of H.I.V. This is a contraceptive method that should be explored more widely in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Mattie Boehler-Tatman
Student, University of California, Berkeley
I was extremely interested in this topic because last summer I spent a month and a half in Peru helping with the administration part of giving the birth control shots. For the people in Peru I know this shot was absolutely necessary and they never missed their appointment to get the shot because they knew how important it was to have it done.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I agree that if birth control shots are increasing the risk of contracting HIV then there needs to be an alternative option, however, I do not think that administering IUD’s would be a safe option. This requires monetary compensation whether it’s through government subsidies, donations, etc. But IUD’s, although a somewhat long term solution, require a high cost upfront. Other than that, they can be dangerous if not put in correctly, and there is a chance of them falling out. I do not know where this money would come from, but if you have any suggestions maybe I am overlooking this setback. I think it would be more realistic to try and educate the population about birth control shots, and possibly teaching the greater population how to inject them themselves if the main problem is people doing it on their own. This would be a small start to improving a system that is already implemented, and this is the easiest and most realistic change that can be made.
I appreciate your commentary on this issue. I remember being quite alarmed at this news as well. This situation provides an example of when contraception can have negative health effects, but it does not necessarily mean that this must always be the case. Access to contraception is an important right, but this case emphasizes that different methods should be used in combination. Perhaps there could be modifications in the procedure for deciding which forms of birth control are best for individual women, such as testing for HIV and other STIs before administering contraception.
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