Contraceptives interfering with our love life

Hello LVCT

I’m newly married and I have enjoyed every moment of it. However, of late my wife has suffered from low libido after using pills as contraceptives, which she promptly stopped. She tried injections but she gained weight and she had to stop using them too. Now we are at cross roads and we don’t know which method to use. What can we do?

Harry

Dear Harry,

Thank you for seeking our support. This shows that you care for your wife and there is good communication in your relationship.

It must be very frustrating for the two of you now that the various contraceptive methods are causing adverse effects to your wife. This is not unique to you and many other people have experienced the same.

Moreover, you are not helpless in this situation and there are other methods that you can use.

Contraceptives when used correctly and consistently are very effective. The body reacts in various ways towards these hormones and what your wife experienced are the common undesirable effects of contraceptives.

Contraceptives are classified into two main categories depending on whether they contain hormones or not. The first group contains hormones and are known as hormonal contraceptives. These contraceptives contain the normal hormones found in the female’s body and they control the menstrual cycle. They include every day pills, injection, and implants. Your wife used the pills and injections, meaning she used the hormonal methods.

The other category is the non-hormonal methods and as the name suggests, they do not contain hormones. Examples include condoms and the IUD (intra-uterine device).

The hormonal methods are known to cause changes in mood swings including low libido, changes in menstrual patterns and body weight. However, effects vary from one woman to the other.

Since the hormonal contraceptives had adverse reactions to her body system, she might want to try the non-hormonal contraceptives and see if they have any effects at all.

However, it is very important that you support your partner to access a family planning clinic near you to get more information on the alternatives she has. This will help you get factual information and, therefore, enable you to make an informed decision.