MTP
What it means?
It means termination of an ongoing pregnancy for various medical reasons:
Who are suitable candidates?
- Women with less than 10 – 11 weeks pregnancy where pregnancy has resulted as a result of contraceptive failure, rape, or there are substantial risk to the life or health of baby or mother.
- Women with 20 week pregnancy with abnormal baby or life threatening complications to mother.
Who should not get MTP?
- First pregnancy
- Conceived after treatment
- Women above 20 weeks
What are its main steps?
There are two methods. Medical and surgical
Medical:
Medicines are given to interrupt pregnancy. Abortion occurs the natural way.
Advantages:
- No surgical or anaesthesia is required.
Disadvantages:
- Abortion may remain incomplete and may require a surgical method to complete.
- Takes many days to complete treatment
- Long term complications are similar with both methods
Surgical:
Minor surgical intervention is done to interrupt pregnancy. Some anaesthesia is also given.
Advantages:
- Quick, time tested and reliable method.
Disadvantages:
- Abortion may remain incomplete and may require a repeat procedure to complete.
- Long term complications are similar with both methods like infection, infertility pain and bleeding
Legal implications:
- MTP is legally allowed in India (MTP act 72). It has to be done at a recognized place by qualified doctors. MTP after any sex selection is a crime under PCPNDT act. MTP by an unqualified health professional and at unauthorized place is illegal.
Contraception
What it means?
- Any method used to avoid an unwanted pregnancy
Who are suitable candidates?
- All sexually active couples not wanting to conceive.
- All couples with any partner having sexually transmitted diseases.
Who should not use contraception?
- Couples trying to conceive.
- Couples not staying together.
What are the main methods?
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- I. Natural methods -like safe period and coitus interruptus.
- Advantages:- natural, no side effects
- Disadvantages:- require lot of self-control and thus high failure rate, do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases
- I. Natural methods -like safe period and coitus interruptus.
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- II. Barrier methods-e.g. condoms and diaphragm
- Advantages:- no side effects, protect against sexually transmitted diseases
- Disadvantages:- interrupt normal action, needed to be used every time high failure rate
- II. Barrier methods-e.g. condoms and diaphragm
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- III. Intrauterine device- e.g. Cut
- Advantages:- highly effective, one time insertion, no interference, 5 to 10 years
- Disadvantages:- side effects like bleeding, pain may be there, need a medical person to insert and remove,
- III. Intrauterine device- e.g. Cut
- IV. Hormonal – pills, injections, ring, etc.
- Advantages:- highly effective, well studied, safe
- Disadvantages:- need prescription and supervision, have side effects in some, cost