Willy Taremwa
With rising food prices and school fees, many couples are finding it necessary to space or limit the number of children they get.

A diversity of approaches have been developed to tackle this issue. Use of modern contraceptives is one approach and is on the rise in most countries. The question is: Is it the best way for Ugandans?

The answer is it can be a good choice, but users should feel safe and comfortable with their family planning method of choice.

Last year, some students of public health from the University of Copenhagen, carried out their master’s research about the side-effects of contraceptives, in Mbarara district.

During the research, I was overwhelmed by the testimonies about the side-effects of contraceptives and the misery the women go through.

The physical effects, included heavy bleeding while the social effects were on their family life. Many women complained that as a result of using contraceptives their sexual desire was reduced and this was affecting their relationships.

According to the Uganda Demographic Health Survey 2006, most women do not use family planning because they fear the side-effects although they want to space or limit pregnancies.

One factor fuelling this fear is that family planning providers often cannot answer questions about the side effects of the contraceptives and how they should be managed.

Many family planning methods have side-effects, but some are more acceptable than others.

Many people stop using family planning out of fear. This fear of the contraceptive side-effects should be addressed and women’s complaints are not taken seriously. The Government should prioritise this issue if they want to increase the use of contraceptives.

The focus should be on rural residents as they live far from their health centres, have fewer well-trained health care providers, and more importantly, have an increasing but largely unmet demand for family planning.

Some African countries like Kenya have focused on addressing the fear of the side-effects of contraceptives and have seen positive outcomes. Uganda should follow suit.