Source: The Observer
Women in Uganda will now access Microgynon Fe, one of the world's most widely used contraceptives, at an affordable price.
This comes after Bayer HealthCare entered a partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to make the drug available and cheaper for Ugandan women.
According to Dr Jorg Reinhardt, chairman of the Board of Bayer HealthCare, the partnership is aimed at "addressing the growing gap between the demand for contraceptives and the ability of governments and donors to provide them".
Dr Gideon Rutaremwa of Makerere University's department of Population studies says Uganda's unmet need for family planning stands at 60% - a high figure. Women who would love to access contraceptives can't do so because they lack funds, have no access to the contraceptives themselves and their decision-making power is limited.
Because Microgynon Fe is affordable, it is likely that it will offset some of the unmet need. The recommended price for a single-period set of Microgynon pills is Shs 2,900.
Dr Othman Kakaire, a gynaecologist at Makerere University medical school says: "Microgynon Fe is being used by millions of women around the world and is well known and trusted among medical professionals."
Because of this, women are less likely to shun it. It also has fewer side effects than the one previously on the market, Dr Kakaire says. Its other advantage is that it has "a rapid return to fertility".
A woman answering a query on how long it takes for Microgynon Fe to get out of the system via Yahoo Answers said it took her three months to get pregnant after stopping the pill.
Microgynon Fe has some negative side effects which include spotting between periods, breast tenderness, mood swings, abdominal cramps and heavy bleeding. It is prudent to use Microgynon Fe under the direction of a physician because women who are hypertensive for example are discouraged from using it.