Self-Assessment Questions (SAQs) for Study Session 10

Answer

The main reasons for using emergency contraception are:

• When a women has not used contraceptives prior to sexual intercourse.
• If sexual intercourse has been forced or coerced.
• If the client has incorrectly used a contraceptive method.

Answer

Emergency contraceptives work by:

• Suppression of ovulation.
• Thickening of cervical mucus to make it difficult for sperm penetration.
• Thinning the endometrial lining of the uterus to prevent the fertilised egg from attaching and developing.

Answer

• a.It should be as soon as possible after unprotected sex and must be within five days following unprotected sexual intercourse.
• b.If your client has failed to menstruate a week or more following emergency contraception, she may be pregnant. You can refer her for a pregnancy test to confirm the pregnancy. If the client is pregnant, you can tell her the available options, and ask her to choose the most appropriate option for her situation. If the client would like to continue with the pregnancy, you can reassure her that emergency contraceptive pills will not have harmed the fetus.

Answer

The first dose must be within five days of unprotected sexual intercourse, if possible within 24 hours (depending on the types of emergency contraceptive used). The second dose should be taken 12 hours after the first dose.

Answer

In the case of nausea, advise her to take the pills with food or milk. In the case of vomiting, give her an additional dose of ECPs, because the pill may have been vomited out without being absorbed in the stomach. If she vomits continuously, advise her to put the same dose of the pill in her vagina, from which it will be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Answer

Women who take ECPs should understand that they could become pregnant the next time they have sex unless they begin to use another method of contraception at once. This is because ECPs delay ovulation in some women. So they may be most fertile soon after taking ECPs. If a woman wants ongoing protection from pregnancy, she must start using another contraceptive method at once.

Answer

Tell W/ro Lule that headaches are a possible side-effect of using emergency contraceptive pills, and that it will not last long. For pain relief, offer her either Aspirin (300 mg), Ibuprofen (400 mg), or Paracetamol (500 mg).