Since men aren’t bothered, women now have monthly contraceptives to avoid unwanted pregnancy

New Delhi, Dec 31: For women, taking contraceptives constitutes a critical part of their sexual lives. And with men becoming more hesitant to use condoms and the rate of sterilisation also taking a hit, it is the women who are mainly on the firing line and need to take extra measures to avoid unwanted pregnancies. The use of birth pills has also taken a plunge and when all these made the women look a helpless lot, a new hope has arisen and it is about a once-a-month contraceptive shot.

According to a report in Livemint, a group of experts has found a fixed-dose combination of hormones that can protect women who still fall in the reproductive age bracket. If injected monthly, the contraceptive could help them avoid unwanted pregnancies.

"The combination of oestrogen and progesterone was banned in August 1989. In 2017, an expert group under the chairmanship of the then director general the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Dr Soumya Swaminathan, recommended that the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) remove the ban on the combined injectable contraceptive cyclofem (the combination of progesterone and oestrogen) so that it can be made commercially available," the report which was published on December 7 said.

Experts say the new recommendation is of great significance in India where men have become increasingly reluctant to use contraception. Even in a highly educated state like Kerala, the rate of condom usage has dropped to 42 per cent, according to a report by the health ministry in 2017. The use of condom has declined by 52 per cent in eight years till 2016 while vasectomy rates have also plummeted by 73 per cent, according to the health ministry. The use of birth pills also fell 39 per cent between 2008-16, the Livemint report added.

The report also cited data from the National Family Health Survey which said that in 2015-16, more than one-third of men felt that contraception is something only the women should bother about.