Choosing Birth Control: Six Questions to Ask Yourself

Choosing your method of birth control is not just an issue of sexual health, but of your relationship wellness and emotional wellbeing. There are various options to consider when choosing birth control, which you need to go through with your partner to ensure you make the right choice for you. Therefore, we’ve outlined some important questions you need to ask when considering birth control:

 

1. What options do I have? Birth control options can be broken down into the following categories:

• Barrier methods, such as male and female condoms, the diaphragm, the cervical cap and the contraceptive sponge.


• Hormonal methods, including birth control pills, the vaginal ring, the contraceptive implant, the contraceptive injection and the contraceptive patch.


• Intrauterine devices (IUDs), like the copper IUD and the hormonal IUD.


• Sterilisation, or a vasectomy or getting your tubes tied.


• Natural family planning. This means using rhythm, basal body temperature and cervical mucus methods to prevent pregnancies.


• Emergency contraception, which methods such as the morning-after pill shouldn’t be your first port of call, they can be used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex.

 

2. How do the different birth control options work? There are different ways in which birth control options work, and so you need to look into your choice to make sure it prevents pregnancy in a way you are comfortable with. Birth control methods can prevent sperm from reaching your egg, inactivate or damage sperm, prevent an egg from being released each month, alter the lining of your uterus so a fertilized egg doesn’t attach to it, or thicken your cervical mucus so sperm can’t easily pass through it.

 

3. How effective is your birth control? As with most things in life, it doesn’t matter how top-notch your birth control if you don’t use it in the right way. In order to be effective, any method of contraception must be used consistently and correctly. The methods little effort on your part, including IUDs, contraceptive implants and sterilisation. On the other end of the scale, methods that require monitoring fertility or periodic abstinence are associated with higher pregnancy rates.

 

4. Is it reversible? Your reproductive goals will obviously have a major part to play in the method of contraception you choose. If you want to become pregnant at some time in the near future, you may want a method that’s easily stopped or quickly reversible, such as an oral contraceptive or a barrier method. Something like an IUD, on the other hand, has a quick return to fertility, but it is expensive if you are going to use it only for a short time period. Obviously, sterilisation is a permanent method, so this may not be something you want unless you’re absolutely sure you don’t ever want to become pregnant.

 

5. Is it convenient and affordable? Again, convenience is really important when it comes to the effectiveness of the birth control you choose. What do you consider to be “convenient”? Does this mean that it’s easy to use? Or does convenience mean that the method doesn’t disrupt your sexual experience? Maybe you’re more concerned about the inconvenience of dealing with bothersome side effects or getting a prescription filled. Whatever convenience means to you, it’s important to choose a type of birth control that suits your lifestyle.

 

6. What are the side effects? While barrier methods and natural family planning tend to come few, if any, side effects, some birth control methods, particularly those that contain oestrogen or progesterone, pose some potentially serious risks. Talk to your GP about your medical history and how it might affect your choice of birth control.

Categories: barrier methods, Birth Control, cervical mucus, choosing birth, control, control methods, control options, Convenience, natural family, options work, Side Effects

Contraception: The Facts Everyone Should Know

Contraception should tick a lot of boxes in one go – it should be cheap, easy to use, convenient, reversible and without any side effects. Beyond anything else though, it should protect against STDs as well as pregnancy. The type of contraception you use needs to fit your lifestyle perfectly, as well as your future goals for having a family or not. There are numerous choices out there, each with their own set of pros and cons – it’s simply a matter of sifting through until you find one which best suits your needs. From barrier methods to monitoring your natural cycle, choosing the right contraception is vital for a happy and safe sex life.

 

Natural methods are popular with women who don’t want to worry about hormones disrupting their natural cycle. They can be a little cumbersome but once you get the hang of them, they can be very effective. Natural methods of contraception include the rhythm method, which requires the woman to record the length of her menstrual cycle for several months. In doing this, she can then subtract 19 days from the shortest cycle and nine from the longest – this period of time will give her her most fertile period. During this stage, if she abstains from sex, she will be able to prevent pregnancy. The Basal body temperature technique goes by the body temperature recorded with a special thermometer. A woman’s body temperature rises after ovulation, and women are advised to avoid sex for up to three days post ovulation – this method is tricky to get right and easy to fail with though. The pull-out method, often favoured by teens, is a method which involves the male withdrawing his penis just as he is about to ejaculate. There is no special device needed nor any prescription, but there is a high failure rate and the risk of STDs as well. This method isn’t recommended as a safe and effective form of contraception.

Oral contraceptives contain two hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, which regularise your periods, prevent ovarian cysts and reduce the pain and bleeding during the menstrual cycle. For many women, they are a miracle in the fight against painful periods. However, there are other side effects such as nausea or vomiting, breast tenderness and the risk of blood clots. Your GP is the best person to advise you as to whether or not the pill is the best form of contraception for you – while there are risks, they are also very efficient in protecting against pregnancy. Likewise, the contraceptive injection is very effective and can last up to two to three months. Some women find that these injections cause irregular periods, weight gain, leg cramps and depression – this is also worth discussing first with your GP. The IUD is a copper device which is fitted into the womb and creates an inhospitable environment so that a fertilised egg can’t settle and impregnate itself. They are fitted by a professional and can last up to ten years, so they’re great for women who don’t want to consider children for a long time. However, there is a risk of cramps, heavy bleeding and even infection. If you don’t want to go down the hormonal route, there is still the barrier methods. Including male and female condoms, this method protects against STDs as well as pregnancy and can be hugely effective in achieving both. It’s important to remember that no methods besides abstinence can offer 100 percent success, but the barrier method is a popular choice which many find to be effective and fits well into their lifestyle.

Categories: barrier methods, body temperature, contraception, cycle, hormones, menstrual cycle, method, natural cycle, Natural Methods, Sex, Women