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Birth
Control - What's out there?
So you have
been using one type of birth control and have not thought about your other
options? You are not alone. When most people hear the words 'birth control'
they think either of the pill or the condom. So what other choices exist?
Hormonal
Birth Control
Birth control options that contain the hormones estrogen and/or progestin
(progesterone). This type of birth control method includes the combination
pill (containing both estrogen and progesterone), the mini pill (progesterone
only), implants (Norplant) which contains progesterone, and injections
(a slow-release, synthetic form of progesterone). Each of the different
hormone based forms of birth control have side effects that need to be
weighed by you and your physician before a choice can be made.
Barrier
Birth Control
Birth control options that prevent the sperm and egg from meeting. Barrier
methods include the well known male condom which prevents the sperm from
entering the woman's reproductive system, the female condom, diaphragm,
cervical cap, and vaginal spermicides. Unless an allergy to latex or rubber
is present in one of the users, side effects of these types of birth control
are usually linked to the spermicides utilized. Female and male condoms
are the only forms of birth control that help to prevent the spread of
sexually transmitted diseases, including the AIDS virus.
Intrauterine
Device
Birth control that is placed into a woman's uterus to prevent pregnancy
by either releasing progesterone and/or by irritating the uterine lining,
making implantation difficult. This method is usually suggested to women
that have already had at least one child. In the past women had developed
infections from use of IUDs. Medical advances have made the incidence of
infection much lower, making this method of birth control much safer.
Natural Birth
Control
Birth control methods that utilize either the knowledge of a woman's cycle,
or the lack of ejaculating inside a woman at all. The best and most effective
natural birth control method is abstinence, or the lack of sex. Other
methods of natural birth control include fertility awareness and natural
family planning (charting a woman's fertility signs and either avoiding
intercourse or using a barrier method during the fertile intervals), breastfeeding
(must breastfeed exclusively, first six months only), rhythm, and withdrawal,
also called coitus interruptus. The efficacy of these methods vary considerably,
and a great deal depends on the couple using the method. The efficacy
rates are from 97% (fertility awareness and natural family planning with
almost perfect use) to as little as 60% (withdrawal and rhythm with almost
perfect use), so the risk of pregnancy needs to be considered.
Sterilization
Birth control that is considered permanent and is implemented via a surgical
procedure. Male sterilization is called a vasectomy, and is usually performed
in a doctor's office. Tubal ligation, the term for female sterilization,
usually involves the cutting, burning and tying of a man's woman's fallopian
tubes. Female sterilization is usually performed as an out-patient procedure
and is more involved than the male sterilization. Both procedures are
meant to be a permanent form of birth control.
You will notice that
I have not listed the Emergency Contraceptives here. The reason for this
is that I do not feel that these belong under the category of 'Birth Control'
and they should not be used as such. Emergency pregnancy preventive measures
should be available in an emergency (such as when a condom breaks) but
should not be relied on as a regular form of birth control.
In order to choose
the best birth control method, you and your partner need to discuss all
of your options with your health care provider. Your medical history will
also need to be considered when making a choice. The choice of which birth
control method to be used is not up to one person in a couple, but should
be made by both partners with consideration and commitment to each other.
Published
at Suite101.com's Birth Control Topic
Written by Debbi Secaur
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