Contraceptives likely to cause low sexual urge

Research indicates that some women using contraceptive pills have
lesser libido and decreased symbols of sexual arousal as well as less
vaginal lubrication.

Women often use the pills as way of birth control; the medication
reacts by holding back a woman’s natural cycle of ovulation.

Alphonse Butoyi, a gynaecologist at Kigali’s la Croix du Sud hospital, explains the effects of contraceptives. “There two types; oral combined pills (OCP) and progestin oral pills (POP) which if used for a long time are likely to reduce a woman’s sexual urge,” he says.

However, women using OCP have less risks of losing their sexual urge
since the pill doesn’t affect their virginal lubrication during sex,” Butoyi advises.

He further advises women to consult physicians before they use
contraceptives since high cases of side effects hail from patients who
didn’t have a doctor’s prescription. “The effects are even worse to
those who use POP without a doctor’s guidance and the majority are
young girls who take the pills out of panic of getting pregnant after
having sex,” he remarks.

POP based pills are considered harmful since they contain chemical substances. “The progestin virginal epithelium, for instance, interferes with the woman’s hormones which leads to swelling in the vagina, the effects include vaginal pain during sex and later blood discharge if the symptoms persist.” explains the doctor.

Even those who have prescribed contraceptive pills from a doctor are also advised to report cases of side effects since some pills might either be counterfeit or the woman might develop some allergy at a later stage while using the pills.

He further explains that a woman using POP for quite some time is likely to face similar problems.

Gloria Uwase is among the women who suffered from the effects of contraceptives use. She discloses that she first experienced vaginal pain while having sex, the signs followed by signs of depression. “As soon as I gave birth to my first son, I switched to contraceptives but after using the pills for weeks I had to consult my doctor after the appearance of the weird symptoms I was experiencing and he prescribed another type of medication which I’m now comfortable with,” she remarks.