Pre-marital sex is on the rise in Chandigarh, and with it the ‘trend’ of popping a pill. City gynaecologists are alarmed by the use of emergency contraceptive pills, especially i-pill, among young women in the city.

This, gynaecologists say, reveals that these girls are not insisting on the use of condoms by their partners, significantly increasing the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Leading gynaecologist Dr Yash Bala says while several sexual partners seems to have become a norm with girls in the age group of 18 to 28 years, the heavy use of emergency contraceptive pills is adding fuel to the fire.

During their interaction with patients, doctors say, they find even girls between 15 to 16 years old are comfortably using emergency contraceptive pills.

“Girls are not concerned whether their partner uses condom. The use of i-pill has increased manifold. It’s almost like girls are gulping i-pills,” Dr Bala says. “Pre-marital sex seems to be more common than marital sex, and the number of unplanned pregnancies higher than planned pregnancies.”

Dr Rachna Abrol, a gynaecologist practising in Sector 22, agrees that the use of i-pill among young girls is alarming. “It is supposed to be an emergency contraceptive pill, but my interaction with young patients reveals that girls are using it as a regular contraception tool.”

“Some years ago, if a young girl came with complaints of irregular menstrual cycle, we would hesitate to ask her if she was sexually active. Now, this is among our first questions. And the answer is usually in the affirmative,” Dr Abrol adds.

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