Just like everything else, the cost of raising a child or planning a family, has risen dramatically in the past few years.
A report published in the UK-based newspaper, The Telegraph, put the cost of raising a child - from birth until the age of 21 - at about £186 032 (R2,8m) last year, up from about £180 137 in 2006. This has been cited as one of the reasons British women delay having families.
Making such a choice would not be possible if it weren't for the range of birth-control options that women now have.
WHAT IT MEANS
 Govt exclusively focused on condoms
Depo-Provera widely used because of cost
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Though the SA government has tried to improve access to contraceptives, its focus has been mainly on one method, condoms, with no effort made to promote their use in conjunction with other methods such as the pill, the diaphragm or sterilisation.
Added to that is the shortage of skills at government health institutions, which causes delays and long queues, making accessing birth control inconvenient and time consuming. Those with medical aid are often forced to purchase their own contraceptives.
"Discovery Health provides cover for contraceptives such as the pill and the intra-uterine contraceptive device from a member's day-to-day benefits, if they have funds available in their medical savings account," says principal officer Jacky Mathekga.
"The scheme covers abortions, whether elective or emergency, from a member's hospital plan and the extent of the cover depends on the member's plan type and the available benefits."
Eugene Watson, the principal officer at the Government Employees Medical Scheme, the second largest medical aid scheme after Discovery, says though his scheme does pay for contraceptives, it also depends on the option the member has signed up for.
Diane Cooper, the chief research officer at the University of Cape Town's Women's Health Research Unit, says it is unfair that medical schemes do not encourage members to use other measures.
She points out that due to the shortage of staff in government health facilities, there is also not enough personnel to adequately educate and advise women.
This might explain the popularity of Depo-Provera, an injectable birth control method. SA is one of the few remaining countries that still uses Depo-Provera, in spite of reports indicating it causes hypertension with vascular disease and even osteoporosis, among others.
It is cheaper than its counterpart, Nur-Isterate, however, and women are required to visit the clinic only once every three months instead of bimonthly, as is the case with Nur-Isterate.
Before taking contraceptives, it is advisable to get advice from a doctor.
For more information, contact the Emergency contraception hotline on 0800 246 432; the Pregnancy Advice Centre: (021) 404-2163 (not free); or the Women's Health Project on (011) 489-9917.
