By Dineo Mokwena
Fem by safe2choose is a mobile platform that provides women with information and access to their sexual health needs. Fem particularly focuses on the termination of pregnancy in South Africa as a large number of women are still seeking backdoor abortions which lead to lifelong complications or death.
The intervention cannot stop here though which is why we also provide other services related to sexual health such as STI and STD screening, pap smears, contraceptives etc. We try to raise the bar on the importance of post abortion care especially; educating women on how to take care of themselves after having an abortion both physically and psychologically.
Why do we focus a lot of our efforts on post abortion care? It is important to educate women on how to cope and move forward from an abortion. Medications and care directly after the procedure, and care moving forward in the form of education of contraception.
Fem by safe2choose: the mobile reproductive and sexual health tool
There are many reasons why a woman may seek an abortion such as being raped, not using protection, forgetting to take a pill, realizing they are not ready to care for a baby either emotionally or financially amongst many other reasons. Abortion is not a result of promiscuity.
Whatever choice you made that led you to needing to access an abortion is your choice alone. To do so, we need to intervene at all stages of a woman’s sexual life.
Fem by safe2choose would like to educate women about sex and pregnancy- how to avoid pregnancy until you are ready, how to enjoy sex responsibly, and how to access your health care needs, including but not limited to an abortion.
Fem would also like to help women overcome the emotions and physical changes, whether temporary or not, after terminating her pregnancy. This includes providing post counseling if needed as well as education and access to birth control and information on family planning.
What can Fem do for you if you don’t need an abortion?
Are you sexual active? If yes, you will need a Pap smear once a year to test for cervical cancer. You will also want to take some kind of birth control, whether it is the pill or an injectable or even an IUD, condoms also count as a birth control method.
Constant STI/STD screening when sexually active is important. Many go unnoticed. HIV testing is offered, even in the comfort of your own home. Information on how to access counseling.
If you go through any of these steps, you will need follow up appointments and/or reminders for consultations to collect/receive medicine. Fem also intervenes at this point in the process. Signing up to Fem allows us to manage and track your appointments, sending you reminders and rewarding you with points when you verify every visit and/or purchase.
To know more about Fem, please DM us on Twitter, private message us on Facebook or Instagram, send an email to info@fem.safe2choose.org, visit our website or simply sms “Fem” to 30705 and play around with the platform to see how it works and what the benefits are.
We look forward to helping you achieve all your health goals!