Bitter Pills:Medicines & The Third World Poor | Page 86

HOW EFFECTIVE IS MY METHOD OF BIRTH CONTROL?"
As a physician, you may be asked this question by your patients concerning numerous
contraceptive techniques.
"The Pill", a daily dose of medicine has achieved an almost perfect record of
preventing pregnancy.
The Pill had to await the discovery of 'hormones- regulating human fertility. A woman
who takes the pill is adding a small daily dose of estrogen and progesterone in
synthetic form to her body's own production of hormones, the effect of which is to
prevent conception.

M A Y A
— a presentation of Population Services International— is a 28 day low-dosage
'Pill' that provides a continuous oral contraceptive regimen for females of
Bangladesh. MAYA consists of 21 white pills and 7 brown pills. MAYA is
available in a consumer pack of 2 monthly cycles.
H O W TO TAKE M A Y A ?
The course should be initiated on the first day of well established menstruation or on
the subsequent menstrual day with the first white pill with this
> arrow mark
and then to be followed until 21 white pills have been fully taken. After finishing the
21 white pills, the brown pills should be taken from the 22nd day through to the
28th day. Next menstruation will usually start while taking these brown pills.
A new pack should be started on the day after the last brown pill is taken. It is
vitally improtant that MAYA should be taken every day without fail. If however a pill
is missed on any one day, it should be taken the next day as soon as it is remembered,
along with the normal regimen of that day. The pills should be taken with food or
drink preferably at bed time.

WHAT IS THERE IN MAYA ?
Each white pill contains: Norethindrone 1mg. with mestranol 0.05mg.
Norethindrone is a potent progestational agent with chemical name 17 a- ethinyl 17 hydrooxy - 4 estren.
Mestranol is an estrogen with the chemical name ethinyl estradiol 3 - methyl ether.
Each brown pill contains : Ferrous Fumerate 75mg.
Ferrous Fumerate is a well-tolerated Iron salt having 33% elemental iron and
indicated in Iron deficiency anaemia.
W H O IS O F F E R I N G Y O U M A Y A

?

MAYA is offered by

POPULATION SERVICES INTERNATIONAL
House No : 51, Road No : 2, Dhanmondi Residential Area, Dacca-5.

FISONS ( BANGLADESH ) LIMITED
is the Sole Distributor of MAYA in Bangladesh.

79