A sip off the spoon in ObGyn.

What crosses your mind when you're thrown the word:

CONTRACEPTIVE PILL

Now we'd think: Preventing pregnancy!

For those who wana enjoy a sex life without worrying about the consequences of being impregnated. 

Now think about your ex classmate back in primary school who was the 5th sibling out of 8 children where brothers and sisters are on the average 1-2 years apart. 

The lady with 3 children all 1 year apart.

The 45 year old aunty who accidentally had a small cute baby when her next youngest child's already entering adolescence.
Someone you know who tried to abort her child upon finding out she's pregnant bcz she simply cannot afford to have a/another child.

Ahhhh.... family planning. :) The importance of it to 

- prevent urself from going crazy taking care of 3 toddlers at the same time while breastfeeding

- give some rest to your uterus after bearing a 2-3kg child for 9 months. 

- give yourself a break from carrying 2-3kgs with you everywhere.

- lower the risk of your baby suffering from syndromic illness due to pregnancy at an advanced age.

- prevent women from having to suffer from the physical and emotional trauma of illegal abortion (attempts). thank you Dr. Ting for the insight. i can't imagine how I could have completely missed out on this one. 

now of course ultimately it's so that your sex life doesn't come to a halt either. 

i'll just mention a few contraceptive options over here. for the benefit of single ladies, future mothers, friends who are mothers, people who love mothers, u get the point. :P 

just a disclaimer- i'm not trying to promote any1 of them or discuss the medical benefits and cons. just sharing some information i think would be useful.

The Pill - suitable only if you can commit yourself to popping a pill EVERYDAY. say if you're a really busy person, and u wana have a spacing of 3 years from ur last child, not a good option to think you're going to remember popping a pill every single day for the next 3 yrs. thr're other options for u. 

The Jab - it's 3 monthly. called Depo-Provera. however it's known to disrupt your menses and cause continuous spotting.

The Under the skin rod - Called Implanon. very convenient. it's a tiny rod like 4cm long, 1mm diameter inserted under your skin under ur arm. it works for 3 years. u can come to the clinic, get it inserted in 5 minutes, and forget about it for the next 3 years. instantly protects you from conception. but costs few hundred ringgit.

The intrauterine implant - There's one made of copper, lasts 2-3 years, about rm35. side effect, causes irregular bleeding (menses). Another one called Mirena, is sort of a plastic-ky material, works for 5 years, has an added benefit of thinning your uterus tissue lining and preventing endometrial cancer. costs about rm500+.  Intrauterine implants are also useful cz u can have them inserted in a clinic in just about 10-15 minutes and forget about it. 

The Vaginal Ring - it can be self inserted for 3 weeks and removed for 1 week every month. unsure about the price though.

of course there's the use of condoms / timing ur period. but that provides less of a guarantee. haha condom salespersons might beg to differ. but that's the general opinion. 

What's this got to do with me?

It's my duty as a future doctor who might see any woman in the clinic / hospital to counsel them about the importance of having family planning and guiding them in choosing the most suitable contraceptive method for themselves. the problem that arises esp in our country is the association of contraceptions with immoral activities. lol. not true! the ultimate goal is to see every woman in this country getting pregnant only when she can afford to and when she wants to. Quoting my Prof, women should enjoy their pregnancy. it shouldn't be a chore. our government hospitals subsidises contraceptions! it's a shame to not have them advocated to our women out there. 

Plan mothers, plan! Empower yourselves! :D

*most ppl are afraid of contraceptives because they're worried of the side effects. contrary to that, side effects are actually really minimal. benefits outweigh them. contraceptives, depending on the type you choose can lower your risk for certain cancers, fibroids, regulate your menses well, clear your acne etc. :)

Ironically, the very next day after my class/workshop on contraception, we had a lecture on Infertility. What a stark contrast! At the very end of the spectrum of women with too many children, you have the couple who's spending a fortune to have their own child. Nothing beats having a child of your own flesh and blood I suppose. (Honestly, after attaching at the labour room and watching the child delivery process, I am freaking scared to get pregnant and deliver my own child. cannot imagine myself going through all that pain!!! (and being screamed at by (well meaning i know) midwives and doctors who wana get my baby out safely)) Thank my mum deep down from the bottom of my heart for going through labour pain for me. If you're wondering what's the ultimate solution to get sexually driven teenagers to sexually abstain, get them to watch a baby delivery.
errr.... enough about sex lol. 

Upon entering the obs and gynae posting 3 weeks back, I was thinking, nyeh... healthy pregnant mothers, palpating abdomens, feeling for fetal parts, fibroids... not my cup of tea. where is the essence of o&g?? why do people love this posting? how do i empathize with healthy ppl??

i guess i got my answer. Seeing Prof Har's passion in empowering women on family planning, another lecturer's passion in helping ppl get their own child, helping parents bring another life into the world - Safely, that kinda motivates and drives a sterling passion. (still not really my cup of tea, hehe, but i guess i appreciate this section of medicine more now)

On a different side, the past week has thought me something. I saw doctors who love teaching their subordinates because they believe in creating better doctors in each individual. I saw doctors and nurses who really care and advocate great practical advice to their patients. I saw people talking down and being nasty to those under them simply because they can. I saw the uncaring shouting and yelling threateningly at patients because they were screaming in pain. (not just the typical yelling at the patient to encourage her to bear down and push the baby out kinda yelling. like totally out of this world yelling with the 'shut up or i'll kill you' glare. :S)

and I know what kind of person I want to be. and what kind I don't want to end up as. and mentally prepare me for the types of people i'm bound to meet in future in my workplace. Competency is still the best policy. that said, my inherent fear for scary evil people needs to be overcome. and creating opportunities for myself to learn. at the current time, the 'i'm just a medical student so what I say might not be entirely accurate' immunity is still there to sorta save me. but it'll only last as long as up to next april -hopefully not longer come to think of it.

In Teluk Intan this weekend. Oh how I love the laid back atmosphere over here. :) (though thr is a tingling longing to go back to kl)

 teluk intan's mee rebus from a Chinese stall. nice :)

 went for ikan pari bakar last night near the jetty. tasty. but had expected it to be better. :P 

sent my brother off at the airport last wkend. see you in a year! :) sobs :( :) 

time to complete the case write up! 

EMSians, how i wish i'm at preaching camp!

Last but not least, Dear Jie, Happy Birthday to you for yesterday! :P