Too Busy To Pick Up Your Pill Prescription? Self-Injecting Contraceptive Jabs Have Arrived

But do you really want your contraceptive health to rely on your ability to inject yourself correctly?

Too Busy To Pick Up Your Pill Prescription? Self-Injecting Contraceptive Jabs Have Arrived

by Ella Ingram |
Published on

A new DIY contraceptive jab is being offered as an easy alternative to the pill for busy women in their twenties and thirties who don't have enough time to pick up their pill prescriptions or just forget to take them on a daily basis.

The jab will be available from GPs and family planning clinics for free which women can self-inject at home.

And don't worry because before you're let loose with a needle and full responsibility of your own contraceptive health you'll be shown how to inject it into your thigh or stomach by a doctor or nurse who will then decide if you're responsible enough to self-inject.

The injection, called Sayana Press, lasts 12 to 14 weeks and needs to be topped up at home every 3 months but it can take up to 7 days to become effective. Doctors can give a supply that will last women up to a year, before returning for a yearly check-up.

The injection works by releasing naturally-occuring hormone progesterone into the bloodstream which stops women releasing eggs. This also thickens the entrance to the womb making it more difficult for the sperm to enter. It also thins the lining of the womb, meaning it would be less able to support a fertilised egg.

After a year, 60% of users should have little to no bleeding and it can help deal with irregular periods. Side effects can include weight changes (studies found that a third of users put on more than 2kg in the first year,) cramps, acne and sickness. Others suffer from depression, breast pain and in rare cases, bone thining.

A new website with advice and guides on self-injection will soon be launched and there will also be alerts to remind women on the prescription when their next dose is due.

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Follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyThornhill_

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.

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