Inspiration: J. Howard Miller’s “We Can Do It!” poster.
Sanchita from Delhi shares her story.

“I have been sexually active since the age of 21. Since then I have had lots of sex with lots of different people; 95% of my encounters have been explicitly consensual. The other 5 % is a murky grey area of not enough assertion. I think of myself as a body positive, sexually healthy person. While in college, I used to engage in risky behaviour. Since then, I have insisted on condoms with a vehemence, every single time. Imagine my horror when I awoke one morning to a positive preg test.

My surgical MTP was smooth; I found a great gynaec who asked all the right questions and never judged. But this story is not about that. After my abortion, I found that my interest in sex waned considerably; I was constantly scared of getting pregnant again and began struggling with body image. These were some of the reasons that led to the end of a wonderful relationship.

After doing considerable research, I decided to get a Copper-T as a more reliable means of birth control since I refused to get on any hormonal medication (I struggle with PCOS as well). I was scared about many things – Will it hurt? What if it gets lost inside? What if it perforates my uterus? What happens if I go to the gym and do a strenuous workout? Will sex feel the same? She was happy to allay my fears, although she couldn’t fathom why I wanted to do this even though I was single (eye-roll).

I was surprised at how cheap and easy it was to get one (Rs. 350 for the device + insertion charge; it lasts for 5 years). The whole procedure took 3 mins and hurt like a bad period cramp. There was a little bleeding and some pain afterwards, but I had prescribed painkillers to deal with that. Why aren’t more women recommended this magical device? The side effects I’ve experienced are that my period is more painful than usual and lasts for an extra day. Sex feels exactly the same. There is about 2 mm of thread that you can feel in my vagina if you really pay attention (even I have to focus to find it). However, I feel a LOT more in control of my body and my sexuality. And control makes me feel sexy!

I still insist on condoms with a vehemence. Copper-T se STD nahi rukta.”

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