A friend ever used it with her boyfriend but, unfortunately, the condom slipped into the 

girl's womb. It took an operation to remove the condom from the girl's womb. Since then, 

I advised myself against the use of condom. [Yolanda] 

Others said that they did not use condoms because they carried diseases, or because they 

burst. Some were told by their mothers or a teacher to use withdrawal as a method of 

contraception. None of the participants, however, mentioned using withdrawal as a method of 

contraception.  

4.6.2  The Pill, Injectables, and IUDs 

Seven participants said they had tried using birth control pills; some had children and 

others did not. Three of the participants said they had tried DMPA injections. All three of these 

participants had had at least two pregnancies and two had given birth once each. The third 

participant had three children. None of the participants had tried the intrauterine device (IUD), 

and only two participants mentioned the IUD as a method of contraception. (Both said that it 

could cause damage to the womb.) 

Although three of these participants reported taking the pill regularly, the others did not. 

The variations included, for example, not taking the pill when the boyfriend was traveling, or 

taking it sporadically. For example, Eve, who began taking the pill a few months before the 

interview, said, 

I take it once every three days. Sometimes too I take two tablets a day. . . no one taught 

me. I just bought it from the pharmacy shop and started taking them the way I thought 

best. [Eve]  

Not surprisingly, one of these girls reported that the pill had failed to keep her from 

getting pregnant. Two others said that they had stopped taking the pill because of the side effects 

that they experienced when they used Secure. 

I have ever tried using the Secure once, but I started experiencing irregular menstruation 

up to now. For instance, sometimes for two whole months I wouldn't see my period, so I 

stopped using it. But I still experience the irregular menstruation. [Sarah] 

There also seemed to be some confusion among the three girls who had recently started 

taking DMPA about how long it lasted. Two girls thought it lasted two or three years, the other 

two or three months. 

Wanda, who had had one birth and one abortion, explained why she didn't return for a 

second DMPA shot; she said, 

But since I had the injection, in the mornings when I wake up and I'm washing, I shiver 

and my heart beats fast and I pant and I also feel dizzy. And it also made me bleed for a 

long time. When I went to tell them, they gave me some medicine, including vitamin B 

complex and multivites, but it did not improve. . . I'm not able to do much around the 

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