A reproductive health expert, Ijeoma Onuorah, says that the use of contraceptives for family planning does not cause cancer but reduces the risk of cancers.

Mrs Onuorah said this at the 2023 International Day of Families, organised by the Anambra State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, on Friday in Awka.

The event, which is marked every May 15, was established to raise awareness about the importance of families and promote the role of families in society.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Demographic trends and families”.

Mrs Onuorah urged families to adopt any family planning method of their choice, saying that all of them were safe and beneficial to the health and wellbeing of the family and society at large.

“There are lots of misconceptions and myths that are preventing families from embracing family planning methods, which have led to deaths of many women.

“There has been no evidence that family planning causes cancer, rather it reduces the risk of cancers.

“The benefits of family planning include longer spacing between pregnancies, preventing unplanned pregnancies and improved survival rates of infants because there will be more time for quality parenting and care,” she said.

Mrs Onuorah further urged women to go through proper tests by medical experts to ascertain the family planning method that would be suitable for them.

She said that young women within the reproductive age have little or nothing to fear about the use of family planning for the prevention of pregnancies.

“Young girls, who are sexually active, also need family planning to prevent pregnancies instead of taking concoctions that could be harmful to their health,” she added.

(NAN)