The New Nation - Internet Edition

How safe natural birth control methods are?

Kamrun Nahar Ruma

Mitu Marium, a fourth-year student oof Dhaka University's Mass Communication and Journalism Department, got married recently. One afternoon, while attending a class, she felt dizzy and fell on the floor. Mitu was rushed to a clinic and doctor said she was pregnant.

It is good news indeed, but Mitu (not her real name) is not happy at all because she did not want any baby during her university. As her friends jokingly asked how she became pregnant against her will, Mitu answered, "It's my safe period baby." Rajshahi University teacher Ishrat Amin Chowdhury (not his real name) is a mother of two lovely kids. The eldest one is 13 month's old while the youngest one is of one month. Asked why she took two children in such a short period, she replies, "The second one was unexpected. Neither I nor my husband did want baby at this time.''

Asked whether she adopted any birth control method? Ishrat replies, "Actually, we were following the natural method -- the safe period."

There is a lack of knowledge among many men and women about natural birth control methods. Even married men and women don not clearly know what the natural methods are and how safe they are. As a result, the number of unexpected babies is increasing in addition to menstrual regulation (MR).

Usually, people across the world follow three natural birth control methods -- periodic abstinence, withdrawal and lactesonal amonoria. The use of condoms by men is also considered as a natural method. However, periodic abstinence and withdrawal methods are mostly used.

According to a research conducted by Population Action International in 1991, 38 million men follow withdrawal method worldwide while 30-35 million women follow periodic abstinence. Periodic abstinence is also known as calendar method or safe period.

As per the calendar method, from the onset of menstruation till the 10th day and 10 days before the next period is safe period. But, only those with regular menstruation are safe in this method. In the case of withdrawal, a male withdraws his penis from vagina just before ejaculation and releases semen outside keeping a safe distance from the woman's body.

Lactosonal amonoria method is for breast-feeding mothers. In this method, a breast-feeding woman can have sex without any contraceptive up to six months after giving birth or till resumption of menstruation. But, the baby has to be regularly and exclusively breast-fed.

According to information released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1997, some 27 out of 100 women are likely to be pregnant in the normal process of withdrawal method. But, the number goes down to 4 out of 100, if the method is properly used. The statistics show that withdrawal is the least effective method among the natural ones. The main problem is due to emotional attachment as men cannot withdraw in right time. About Lactosonal amonoria, Central Hospital Gynecology Professor Samina Chowdhury says, "If followed properly, this method is 98 percent safe. But, no method is 100 percent safe." Saria Tasnim, a Gynecologist at Pan-pacific Hospital, says, "We have many women coming for MR, as they become unexpectedly pregnant. In most cases, natural methods are responsible for their unexpected pregnancies. Calendar method is the mostly used method. But, the problem is in many cases the couples cannot calculate the timing properly."

"Without having good knowledge about natural methods, no one should follow them. After marriage, every couple should properly know the methods. And, extensive publicity is required in this regard," she says.

NIPORT research director Ahmed Al Sabir says, "Out of 58 percent families involved in family planning, only 8-10 percent use natural methods."

Dr Rawshon Ara, professor of gynecology at Holly Family Hospital, says in most cases women cannot calculate the timing of safe period. And the cycle changes for various reasons. Periodic abstinence is good for those who have regular period and careful about it. But, it has to be said that the natural methods are not cent percent safe. Halida Hanum, director of Family Planning Association of Bangladesh, says the natural methods are full of troubles. These methods are not used properly for various reasons. So, unexpected pregnancies are on the rise. "We, the government and NGOs, don't encourage natural methods.''

Vedio games are harming children

Shakila Sultana

Rahima Ahmed often goes out allowing her two boys to play games on computer. One day, on her return home, she saw her younger son Mahim, 6, had hit her elder son Fahim, 12, with a toy pistol. The youngster's action resulted in a cut on Fahim's head.

When Rahima was scolding Mahim for his violent action, he said, "No one yells at when someone shoots at someone in the games. Why are you scolding me?"

Rahima of Dhaka Citys Shantinagar area finds her kids uncontrollable and she blames video games for this. Such behaviour is quite common among kids who play video games.

Video games hit the world market in 1952. They arrived in Bangladesh at the end of the 1980s. Video games became very popular in the 1990s. Since then, video games shops began to spring up in lanes and by-lanes of towns, and even in villages. In these shops, children, adolescents and unemployed play games in return for money. Literally, it has turned into an industry. But, these games are having negative impacts on children.

Kids belonging to higher class and higher-middle class families play games on their personal computers, while those of lower and lower-middle class families in an unhealthy environment of video games shops. Numerous shops can be found in Mirpur, Jatrabari, Old Dhaka, Kachukhet, Nayatola and Bashabo areas.

"Playing video games is an addiction,"says Kamrun Nahar Ria, a guardian. "Like drug addicts, those are addicted to video games gradually increase the time of playing. This addiction is very harmful to children."

Dr Tamanna Begum, a child specialist and associate professor of Begum Khaleda Zia Medical College, says, In developed countries, there are separate games for separate age groups. But, in our country, there is nothing like that. Here, everybody is playing every game. If a child plays games hours after hours he or she gets addicted. As a result, children's education is being affected.

She says, "There arise some physical problems too. If children play video games for a long time, their fingers get swollen and they face problems in their muscles. These may lead to serious physical problems in the future."

Psychologically, Dr Tamanna says, the consequence is even worse. Due to these games, children get attracted to violence and sex.

The children who play at shops have to lie or steal money. Twelve-year-old Topu was playing at a shop in Mohammadpur. "I play because I feel great with it,"he says with an innocent smile. Topu is a madrasah student. He comes here to play games telling his parents that he is going to mosque for prayers. "I save my pocket money to play games. If I want my parents to give me money, they won't."

These day children and adolescents increasingly buy CDs of games. Apart from some storylines, there is nothing written on the covers of CDs and DVDs. So, guardians cannot understand what they are buying. Simply, they are being forced to buy kids all types of games, as they are unable to select good and bad ones. Children are playing all types of games, as it's not written as to which game will be played by which age group.

Many games are mentally harmful to children. In support of this statement, Mehzabin Haque, associate professor of Psychology department at Dhaka University, says, "Any addiction is bad. When children keep on playing games, they cannot control themselves. That means it's a kind of addiction. As there are many pictures, colours and speed in games, electric waves of brains get changed. So, children can't be attentive to any other things. And this harms children's education most."

Mehzabin goes on: "For playing too much of games, children can't be attentive to their studies. So, they perform poorly in their exams and become disobedient. Besides, as he or she is playing alone, social interaction is gets lesser, which may later cause frustration."

Mehzabin also says having seen violence in many games children are getting familiar with the world of crimes. There are many games from where children watch murders and fighting. Subconsciously, children are learning crimes. These games are destroying children's sympathy for others.

She further says, "The idea among children that fighting is bad is being damaged. Children are getting encouraged in fighting. They are not learning to see a wrong thing as wrong. The condition of those playing in shops is even worse. They are playing in an unhealthy environment. And, they have to pay for this. They are learning to deal with money at an early age. In order to collect the money, they are learning many wrong things like stealing. They are also behaving violently."

Some psychologists say it is true that nowadays children cannot have outdoor activities that much as there is virtually no playground. So, they need to be encouraged to read books.

Of course, they say, "Children will play video games. But, the time and type of games have to be fixed by their parents. The parents will also have to spend more time with their children. And they will have to be like friends so that their children can easily express their feelings to them."

Ultra-modern lifestyle puts young women at health risks

Surekha Kadapa-Bose

Many a time young Indians have been influenced by the unreasonable lifestyle, food habits and crazy fads of the West. The latest to hit them is the size zero body. Boosting the cravings of this group of women, aged between 15 and 35 years, are leading Hindi cinema actresses, Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai, and, of course, fashion designers who prefer to showcase creations on size-zero models.

It all started with Aishwarya Rai - whose net popularity skyrocketed with her marriage into the Bachchan family - dropping oodles of weight for the blockbuster, 'Dhoom II'. However, even as posters of her sculpted body created a buzz in the media, they never really kicked off a weight loss trend. After all, Rai - a former Miss World - was meant to have the unattainable perfect figure.

But with the hitherto healthy Punjabi 'kudi' (girl) Kareena Kapoor - whose cinematic 'khaandan' (family) is known to relish non-vegetarian fare - shedding those extra pounds to gain long beanpole legs, hollow cheeks and a concave-shaped tummy (displayed ever so blatantly in her latest flick 'Tashan') - size zero has finally arrived.

Kapoor's apparent size zero bod - reportedly a result of a sustained diet of cabbage and apples - has definitely catapulted her to dizzying heights. Suddenly the media, college-going youngsters and even middle-aged moms are discussing Kapoor and her latest weight drop, with dreams of attaining the proportionate nothingness!

So what is size zero? It's a women's clothing size according to the US catalogue sizes system that is the equivalent of an UK size 4 or an Europe size 32-34. It is also a concept within the fashion media relating to models with low body mass.

Thus, being a size zero means having a 31.5 "(bust) - 23" (waist) - 32" (hip), or simply being able to fit into a pair of 22-inch waistline jeans.

To look like their favourite star, young women are willing to go to any extent - dangerous crash diets, strenuous exercise routines and starvation - so much so that many end up as classic cases of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

Anorexia nervosa is characterised by low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight. A recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviour, referred to as "purging", like self-induced vomiting, the use of laxatives, diuretics, and so on, characterises bulimia.

"These girls and even boys don't realise the irreparable damage this causes to their bodies, especially the bone mass," says a very worried Dr D. Srinivas, a well-known orthopaedic surgeon and consultant, attached to InLak and Shushruti Hospitals in Mumbai. Srinivas is concerned, as the number of patients coming to him with complaints of bone affiliated ailments has risen considerably, with most belonging to the vulnerable age group of 15 to 35 years.

He explains that after the age of 17 for young women and 18 for men, the body stops growing physically. It then starts accumulating bone mass till around the age of 30-35 years. It is this mass that acts as a protection from osteoporosis and other bone-related ailments later in life.

Reckless lifestyles and thoughtless diet choices hinder this body function. "Bone mass is like a huge bank balance, which if not accumulated properly can cause havoc at a later age," he cautions.

Mumbai-based Neesha Maria Bukht, a registered dietician and an International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) fitness expert, agrees. She says that there are dubious dieticians who promise to help youngsters reduce weight within a few days or weeks. "The unknowing clients are not told about the dangerous effects a severe diet will have on the bone mass or density of the body," reveals Bukht, who heads the Talwalkars Training Academy which provides cutting-edge programming and educational information to aspiring fitness professionals.

The hurried measures taken to achieve the coveted weight can lead to other serious problems. Hair loses its sheen and the skin, its elasticity. Stamina is depleted and this leads in turn to mood swings. In severe cases, depression sets in. Irregular menstrual cycles resulting in temporary ovulation problems and, of course, osteoporosis are the more serious consequences.

"Drastic weight loss may not cause permanent damage but temporarily the ovulation will be affected. The reproductive system has the capacity to regain its normal functioning. But it all depends on the age of the woman, the extent to which the body has been damaged and how healthy the other organs are," says Dr Partho Guha Roy, a consulting gynaecologist.

Mumbai-based fashion designer Anita Dongre admits, "Designers do create collections that are worn by thin models at fashion shows and shoots, because that adds to the look of the creation." But she is quick to add, "That does not mean that we are encouraging young girls to be the same size."

She acknowledges that the fashion industry wields great influence over youngsters and often shapes the way young women feel about themselves. "Teenage girls aspire to look like their role models.

If their role models are healthy it will help inspire girls to be the same. But it is also true that all thin women aren't unhealthy. Designers prefer thin models with glowing skin and lovely hair, which is not possible to get if one tries dangerous methods of losing weight," says Dongre.

Courtesy: Women's Feature Service