The life and health of each woman are complex and risky, but will she be aware and able to prevent and correct them in time?
Uncle Doctor had a male patient who went to a massage parlor. After having sex, he found that the condom slipped off inside the woman’s vagina. That woman was at risk of unintended pregnancy. Later, this young man went to drink at a pub until he was drunk and met a group of young women who were out and about and talked together. Then he invited one of the women to a hotel but stopped to buy condoms first. While about to have sex, there was a problem putting on the condom because the one he bought was size 49, while he usually used size 52, so they had sex without protection. This woman was also at risk of unintended pregnancy.
Ladies, you can probably answer how to prevent pregnancy, right?
That is, you should take emergency contraceptive pills, but you must also monitor your period to see if it comes. If it doesn’t, you need to quickly check for pregnancy.
Another young man had sex with a woman he had known for 2 months through WeChat. They arranged to meet and went to the man’s dormitory, drank beer, had sex, and used a size 52 condom. Unfortunately, he forgot to squeeze the air out of the tip of the condom, and it broke! He discarded the condom and continued having sex. This woman was also at risk of pregnancy.
Five days later, he experienced painful urination and pus discharge from the urethra. He had gonorrhea!
On October 5, 2016, Uncle Doctor walked past a bakery and saw a female employee crying out loudly. She was sitting hunched over, looking up, with both hands on her lower abdomen. The shop owner knew Uncle Doctor, so he asked to examine her. He found that she had severe pain in the lower abdomen above the pubic bone and on the left and right sides, with a tense abdomen. She hesitated for a moment when Uncle Doctor asked if she had missed her period or done anything.
The answer was that she was 2 months pregnant and had an abortion in another province. The person who performed it was not a doctor, using an injection into the vagina 10 days ago. She had been in pain ever since. This condition is pelvic inflammatory disease. Her friends called 1669 to take her to the hospital, even though she should have seen a doctor from the start of the pregnancy, which would have been a better solution to avoid severe infection and danger. But because she was not aware, she believed her friend’s advice and did not access safe services.
Not only that, but there is also news of women with unplanned pregnancies who do not want children but give birth and abandon the baby. Even if they cannot have an abortion, they must continue the pregnancy. But if they could access counseling services that understand them, they would make better decisions. Like on September 17, 2016, in Phuket, locals scavenging for old items in the trash found a newborn baby smiling, naked, with only a small white diaper covering its body.
On September 18, 2016, in Sing Buri, locals riding a motorcycle saw a pickup truck passing by. When they reached the scene, they heard what sounded like a baby crying and found a newborn baby with a head wound, suspected to have been thrown from the vehicle.
So what can we do to reduce news and incidents of child abandonment?
Personally, Uncle Doctor believes that having good services for patients to come and consult, share their troubles, and for the community to accept the problem and reality will help women choose what is best for themselves. Because people think differently, some can endure, some are willing to choose differently from others, but it is good for them, like their stories.
A 23-year-old woman came for a contraceptive injection. She has four children, aged 7, 5, 3, and 1, respectively, from the same husband. She said having many children was intentional and never thought of having an abortion because both families help raise them, even though they are not wealthy. She plans to have a tubal ligation after this injection.
Another woman, a 49-year-old teacher, told the doctor she has two children and has been getting contraceptive injections for 21 years because she fears pregnancy. The teacher is embarrassed in front of the students because she teaches them to be careful about pregnancy!
Or a 39-year-old woman came with a man of the same age. She said, “We are friends. We made a mistake,” even though both have families and children. The man has a good family, while the woman has problems with her husband, who is unfaithful, causing constant arguments, and they plan to divorce.
“I’m going to divorce my husband. I don’t blame the man. I blame myself. I think I can raise the child that will be born, but I can’t have him because the man’s wife is my close friend. Maybe I’m lonely, but we don’t love each other. We only had something once or twice. I think it was a coincidence, not looking for someone to replace my husband.”
She is 6 weeks pregnant. She doesn’t really want an abortion. She said, “I choose a way that doesn’t cause problems for his family and the child that will be born in the future.”
“I think I’m wrong, and I have to accept it.”
As for whether to be a mother or not, she asked Uncle Doctor to let her decide for herself. Uncle Doctor listened to her all the time, including her repeated expressions of guilt and regret, and told her to be strong, encourage herself, and not to keep reminding herself of her guilt anymore
With love and care
Dr. Rueangkit Sirikanjanakul, RSA Network Coordinator
Source: www.lovecarestation.com