Birth Control (Contraception)

What is birth control or contraception?

Birth control is any method used to prevent pregnancy. There are many different methods of birth control including condoms, IUDs, birth control pills, the rhythm method, vasectomy, and tubal ligation. Birth control gives parents the ability to decide the spacing and number of children they would like to have.

What are some common misconceptions about birth control?

Birth control methods do not lead to infertility in future. For most of them the ability to get pregnant returns after stopping use. They do not lead to promiscuity in committed relationships; they allow a safe environment for planning when to have children. It is important to remember that, abortion is not a birth control method.

What are the types of contraception?

There are several types of contraception, which means many of them work differently. For the most part, there are four different types of birth control methods:

1. Lifestyle. This may mean that birth control is something that you, and potentially your partner(s), do to actively avoid an unwanted pregnancy. This method includes:
2. Abstinence; where sex is avoided entirely
3. Outercourse, where there is no penetrative sex
4. Fertility awareness; Also known as the rhythm method, fertility awareness involves tracking your menstrual cycle and symptoms in an attempt to avoid intercourse on your most fertile days.

Tracking can be done via the:

• Calendar method, which helps you predict when you’re fertile by tracking your menstrual cycle time frames over several months
• Temperature method, which helps you predict when you’ll ovulate by tracking body temperature changes throughout your period
• Cervical mucus method, which helps you predict when you’ll ovulate by tracking your cervical mucus, or vaginal discharge, changes during your period.

While they are cost free, they are noted to have a high failure rate.

• Barrier. A barrier method typically means that you use contraception as needed. This means that you or your partner(s) are using something that goes into the body before sex to block sperm from fertilizing an egg. Some examples include male or female condoms or spermicide. Condoms also have the added advantage of preventing STI when used correctly.

Other examples are: Contraceptive sponge, Cervical Cap, Diaphragm

• Hormonal: Hormonal birth control methods are most often used on a regular basis. These include the birth control pill, the injectable (Depo-Provera), the ring, and the patch. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are another kind of hormonal birth control, although one form of IUD, the copper IUD, is nonhormonal. The levels of hormones differ based on the contraceptive. They may stop the ovaries from releasing eggs, thicken the mucus around the cervix, or thin the lining of the uterus.
• Depo-Provera is an injection of the hormone progestin every 90 days in a Family Planning Unit. It prevents pregnancy by preventing ovulation from taking place. No ovulation = no pregnancy. Effectiveness: Perfect use: 99 percent. Typical use: 94 percent.
• Contraceptive Implant Small plastic rods or capsules, each about the size of a matchstick, that release a progestin like the natural hormone progesterone in a woman’s body.
• The Combined Oral Contraceptive got its name because it combines estrogen and progestin to prevent ovaries from releasing eggs, and thus prevents pregnancy from taking place. A prescription option, the pill must be taken every single day at the same time to work.
• Minipill: also known as progestin-only pills, the prescription-only minipill is a great pick for folks who wish to avoid estrogen. The pill suppresses ovulation, which means no pregnancy.

• Copper IUD is a small, T-shaped instrument that gets placed in your uterus during a doctor’s visit or at the family planning unit. There are two main types of IUDs. Copper IUDs, sometimes called non-hormonal IUDs, work by deterring sperm. Fun fact: Sperm don’t like copper! It is also a low budget, long term method of contraception.
• Hormonal IUDs are also inserted into the uterus by a doctor. They release a small amount of progestin, which intercepts ovulation and therefore makes pregnancy impossible for 3 to 7 years at a time.
• Medical: Medical procedures like vasectomy or tubal ligation change the body and ultimately prevent it from fertilizing or getting pregnant. They are irreversible for most of the time.
• Vasectomy: For men, a vasectomy is an outpatient surgery that involves blocking or cutting the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to the penis. This keeps sperm from being added to ejaculate. Remember: no sperm = no pregnancy.
• Tubal Ligation is a procedure that folks with fallopian tubes can get, tubal ligation involves blocking, tying, or cutting the fallopian tubes, which transport the egg from the ovaries to the uterus.

There are other added effects for some birth control methods. Hormonal birth control methods are known to alter the menstrual cycle and heaviness of flow. This often resolves after prolonged use. They are also used for symptom management in: Hormonal acne, heavy periods, polycystic ovarian syndrome and menstrual cramps.

Condoms are very effective in preventing Sexually Transmitted Infections.

It is important to speak to your partner about having birth control, however the ultimate decision of birth control lies on the user. Walk into any Family Unit in the closest Clinic or District Hospital for advice on the best birth control that will work for your situation. Their services are confidential and most methods are covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme.