Technologies and Practices Threatening Women’s Health

This article discusses the technologies and practices that threaten women's health, including Depo-Provera and Norplant. It also suggests natural family planning methods as an alternative.

Running head: WOMEN HEALTH
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Title: Technologies and Practices Threatening Women’s Health.

WOMEN HEALTH
Monique Begin, after serving as a Minister for almost seven years in Canada, she left politics
and though a feminist, she tried to address women’s health issues separately from the men’s
which gained some resistance for the nationals could not find anything new for them to learn
about the same (Roberts, 2000). Later she become the chair of women studies in a different
universities. It is at that time she found an opportunity to teach and study both men and
women health separately. She found that women, though they lived longer than men, that
does not guarantee them a smooth life in their life span (Wershler, 2004). Below are some of
the technologies which can and have threatened women’s health:
Depo-Provera.
This is a contraceptive injection made to prevent pregnancy. It is injected in the body once in
every three months. It interferes with normal maturation of ova, altering the secretion of sex
hormones (progesterone, testosterone and estrogen) and also influencing production of
vaginal mucus. The menstrual cycle as a vital sign and the use of Depo-Provera as a
contraceptive constitute two ends of a continuum. These ends are the normal menstrual cycle,
which depicts the health of women and totally suppressing the menstrual cycle due to intake
of drugs which alter the reproductive endocrine function. This leads to a range of menstrual
disorders resulting from hormonal imbalance which might have been caused by stress, diet or
other inherent factors. The hormonal contraceptive disrupts the menstrual cycle and induces a
temporal infertility.
Sex hormones have an effect on human body physiology. These effect include effect on the
cardiovascular system, bone and body metabolism, one’s attractiveness and response to sex.
This is because fertile menstrual secretions promote general health and well-being (Peters,
2010). Depletion of excess iron in the body and regulation of blood pressure are some of the
benefits of normal menstrual cycles to the heart. The side effects involved after taking this

WOMEN HEALTH
drug include bone loss which may not be completely reversible (Begoray and Banister,
2007), vaginal and uterine hemorrhage, excess bleeding during menses, paralysis of the face,
loss of memory, ectopic pregnancies, tendencies of suicide, increased depression, anxiety,
nervousness and panic reactions (Allina and Fugh-Berman, 2003). The drug leads to
headache and abdominal stress such as constipation and nausea as it affects the
gastrointestinal tract by making its muscles lose. Effects involved after one stops using this
drug are hot flashes, vaginal dryness and other menopausal symptoms experienced by some
women which are due to reduced levels of estrogen and testosterone which lead to bone
density loss. The drug still causes hormonal depletion leading to loss of sexual sensitivity and
sexual desire (Maticka-Tyndale, 2001). Depo-Proven has been identified to have adverse
effect to teenagers and adult women after use of more than two years thus it is not advisable
for it to be used as a contraceptive despite a great number using it with still the knowledge of
its side effects only to prevent pregnancies at the expense of their health.
Norplant.
This is a birth control technology consisting of six matchstick-sized rods which are implanted
under the skin of the upper arm. These rods secrete hormone that prevents pregnancy for a
period of up to five years (Norsigian, Priest and Barnett, 2007). This implant is speculated to
be inserted by a medical doctor. The worst of the issue is that during the training of the
doctors on how to insert the implant, a few were not taught on its removal techniques and
thus the women who experienced its side effects were left on their own to deal with the drug
on their own ways.
The usage of Norplant led to various side effects to its users which include loss of vision,
bleeding, hair loss or the growth of unwanted hair in unusual places on the body, weight gain,
seizures and headaches. In Canada, this technology of birth control was not mainly used due

WOMEN HEALTH
to its side effects of scarring the upper arm and the fact that the device is much costly
(Wershler. 2004).
To sum up this, women should avoid these technologies and put more emphasis on the use of
the natural family planning method which depend on knowledge of fertility patterns and such
methods are withdrawal just prior to ejaculation, or periodic abstinence to control fertility.

WOMEN HEALTH
References.
Allina, A. and Fugh-Berman, A. (2003). Natural Hormones: are they a safe alternative A
Friend Indeed,19(6), 1, 6-7.
Begoray, D. and Banister, E. (2007). Reaching Teenagers Where They Are: Best Practices for
Girls’ Sexual Health Education. Women's Health and Urban Life, 6(1), 24-40.
Maticka-Tyndale, E. (2001). Sexual Health and Canadian Youth: How Do We Measure Up?.
The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 10(1-2), 1-17.
McCarthy, M. (2011). Prescribing Contraception to Women with Intellectual Disabilities:
General Practitioners’ Attitudes and Practices. Sexuality and Disability 29(4), 339-
349.
Norsigian, J., Priest, A. and Barnett, R. (2007). Gardasil: What You Need to Know about the
HPV Vaccine.Women and Health Protection, Canadian Women's Health Network.
Retrieved From: http://www.cwhn.ca/resources/cwhn/hpv.html
Peters, K. (2010). Reasons why women choose a medical practice or a women's health centre
for routine health screening: worker and client perspectives. Journal of Clinical
Nursing, 19(17-18), 2557-2564
Roberts, D. (2000). Black Women and the Pill. Family Planning Perspectives, 32(2), 92-93.
Wershler, L. (2004). Depo-Provera: Does this Contraceptive Choice Support the Health and
Well-Being. Of Adolescents and Young Women. Canadian Woman Studies, 24(1),
105-107.
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