The phenomenon known as hormonophobia is a reality among the young people of principality. This is what the medical professionals and nurseswho warn of the negative impact of the information they find on social networks for this group. “The fact that they have a lot of information does not mean that it is good. Sometimes it is not reliable”, he points out Marta Pérez, nurse at the Youth Consultation at the Primary Care Center of La Sardana.
For this reason, from this center they work to dismantle myths, resolve doubts and teach teenagers to identify reliable sources before making decisions about your health. In the same line, the doctor Julià Álvarez points out that, although the use of contraceptives remains fairly stable, among young people there is more fear of adverse effects. The doctor relates this perception to the so-called hormone phobia and to the myths that he also considers to abound.
“The more information about contraceptive methods is available, the better decision will be made”
This fear of hormonal contraceptives is particularly relevant at the present time. A few weeks ago, France threw one health alert on the use of pills with desogestrel and etonogestrel following a study that found the risk of contract a meningiomaa generally benign tumor. The principality replicated the warning and, in fact, according to the gynecologists consulted, the consumption of medicines with these components is very common, but the risk of contracting a meningioma is very lowof the order of one case out of every 67,300 women treated. There is only a slight increase in risk with prolonged use of more than a year.
“There must be the accompaniment of a professional when taking a contraceptive”
Beyond this circumstance, Perez maintains that when taking a hormonal contraceptive “there must be the accompaniment of a professional behind itsuch as a specialist nurse, midwife or gynecologist. This helps them make better use of it and that they can decide which is the right one,” he says. In the same vein, Èrika da Costa, from the Youth Forumpoints out that “the more information there is about contraceptive methods, the variants and the effects, the person will be able to make a better decision”.
“The family is a fundamental pillar if the teenager wants to express any concern”
the last one national health survey (ENSA) finds that, among young women, the use of any hormonal contraceptive is the majority, with a 63% prevalence, together with the male condom. The gynecologist Julià Álvarez adds, however, that it is in older ages that an increase in hormonal treatments to avoid the symptoms of menopause has been detected.
The Consult Jovewith a team of specialized nurses and more than twenty years of experience, is one of the available resources, along with the primary care centers, the SIAD and some youth points. Beyond the activity at the center, they also go to schools to do workshops from sixth grade to first high school. The goal is for teenagers to be able to express themselves concerns and learn to question the content they consume. In the classrooms, the nurse explains, the use of condoms is recommended for young people, since “it is the only contraceptive method that can prevent a sexually transmitted disease”.
The use of any hormonal contraceptive is 63% in young women
In any case, Perez warns that this task of prevention must be carried out before people start having sex and must also include awareness of the other person’s limits and consent. “If you start earlier, things are more clear and established,” he adds.
Professionals argue that it is necessary to start prevention in early stages
Another actor that must be taken into account in this matter is the family. The person responsible for Youth Health from CAP La Sardana remembers that “it’s a fundamental pillar in education. It’s important that if the teenager wants to express any concern, he has the family”, he says. On the other hand, From Costa defense that the family should be a safe space where to talk about sexuality, although this is not always the case. For this reason, it also attributes to educational and health centers an important responsibility in the education of young people. In addition, from Youth Forum they warn that wider access to contraceptives “should not replace access to free abortion”, pointing out that no contraceptive is 100% effective.
