Wait, family planning isn’t just for married people?

The first time I heard the words "family planning," I imagined a married couple sitting across from a doctor, discussing baby names and whether they wanted three children or four. 

Very wholesome. 

Very adult. 

Very much not me. 

I was 24, single-ish, working my first proper job and still trying to figure out whether I wanted to bask in my nepo-baby rights in my father’s house or rent my own apartment. 

Then I started dating someone seriously. 

We weren't planning a wedding. We weren't planning babies. We were, however, sexually active. 

And suddenly, contraception became very relevant. 

The funny thing is, I didn't immediately think of it as "family planning." After all family planning was something married women did. Maybe because that's how I'd always heard it discussed. 

"Ask your wife to go for family planning." 

"After the second child, she should do family planning." 

Nobody was exactly saying, "Hey babe, if you're sexually active and not ready for pregnancy, knowing your contraceptive options might be a good idea." 

So I did what any modern woman with unlimited internet access would do. I Googled.

And then I called my friend. 

Then another friend. 

Then one friend's cousin, who apparently "knows these things." 

By the end of the conversation, I had heard approximately seven different opinions and zero reliable facts. One person said the pill would make me infertile. Another said condoms were enough. Someone else said IUDs were "only for married women." 

At that point, I realised I was making decisions about my body based on hearsay. So I booked a consultation. And honestly, that was my lightbulb moment. Family planning isn't really about being married. It's about planning your life. 

It's about knowing your options, understanding what works for your body and lifestyle, and deciding what makes sense for you. 

Explore your options at yourlife.ng 

Whether you're married, dating, single or somewhere in the complicated middle, if you're sexually active and not planning a pregnancy right now, information matters. 

There are different contraceptive methods, and they don't all work the same way or suit everyone. That was something I wish I'd understood earlier. 

Your friend can tell you what worked for her. The internet can give you 47 opinions before breakfast. But your body deserves better than crowd-sourced medical advice. 

And yes, I'm still having migraines deciding on staying a nepo baby or venturing into the wild wild west of renting a Lagos apartment. 

But at least I'm making better plans for the things that actually matter. 

Explore your contraceptive options at yourlife.ng and get informed about the methods available to you. 

Your Life. Your Choice.

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