Birth Control Methods

Conception can be controlled by mechanical or chemical means and by the rhythm method, and it can be prevented by surgical procedures performed either on the woman or on the man. Although some birth control methods can be used without any medical supervision, the most effective of the ones used by women require a medical examination.

Birth Control Methods Available Without Medical Supervision

Condoms: This is a thin, flexible sheath worn by the man over his penis in order to prevent the sperm from entering the woman’s vagina. The condom should be put on after an erection but before the penis  enters the vagina.  It is risky to wait until just before the male orgasm, because some sperm may leak out before ejaculation actually occurs.

How to put on a condom

The condom should be rolled on, leaving about half inch of loose space at the tip of the penis to collect the sperm. To facilitate entry into the vagina and guard against possible breakage of the condom, it should be lubricated with saliva or vaginal jelly. (Petroleum jelly should never be used as a lubricant. It causes deterioration of the rubber.) Prelubricated condoms can also be purchased. Each condom should be used no more than once.

Spermicidal Preparation: Various creams, foams, and jellies are available without prescription for use by women during intercourse.

 

Tablets and suppositories can also be purchased at the drug-store, but they are less popular and less effective. All these products work on the same principle, i.e., they prevent conception both by blocking the entrance to the uterus and by immobilizing the sperm. They must inserted into the vagina less than an hour before intercourse; if more time elapses, they become ineffective and must be inserted again. But none of them is as reliable as the medically supervised procedures for preventing pregnancy. Spermicidal preparations are most effective when used in conjunction with other methods of birth control, such as the condom.

Birth control methods Requiring Medical Supervision

All the birth control devices listed below require a medical examination of the woman, and all of them are far more effective than the non-prescription methods previously described. There are several of these effective devices available and the woman and her doctor can choose among them to find the one most appropriate for her to use.

The Pill (Oral Contraceptives). The pill is the most reliable method known for controlling conception. Nevertheless, the pill has its drawbacks and dangers. It must be taken on a regular basis; careless usage can undo its effectiveness. It is not medically safe for all women and it may cause unpleasant or undesirable side-effects in others. It has also been known to cause serious illness. Although various type of pills are available, all of them contain chemical similar to the natural female hormones that control ovulation from taking place, thus keeping the woman infertile for as long as she takes the pill. To remain effective, therefore, it must be taken on a rigid schedule.

The commonly used pills are the combination pills, they are taken one a day for three weeks; for the next  week either no pills or pills without hormones are taken. On the fifth week, the cycle begins again.  The mini-pills , which are somewhat less effective because they contain no oestrogen, are taken daily. (Oestrogen is the hormone responsible for more serious complications of oral contraceptives.) On the first use some women experience unpleasant side-effects from the mini- pill such as nausea, weight gain, and headaches, but these generally wear off once the body has become adjusted.

Your doctor will determine, after a medical examination and review of your medical history, whether it is advisable for you to use the pill, and which of the many types available is best for you to use. You should not take Oral contraceptives (the pill) if you have had thrombosis (blood clots), a stroke, a liver disorder, a cancer of the breast or reproductive system, or certain kinds of cardiac difficulties, high blood pressure and migraine headaches. Women who take the pill must have a medical examination at least once a year to make sure no problems have arisen.

Intrauterine Devices (IUD’S). Of all the methods of protection against unwanted pregnancy, the IUD is the least troublesome to use. Once the device is put in place, it remains there for a year or more—depending on the type—or until it is no longer wanted.

Several types of IUD are available, but all are similar. They are small metal or plastic devices with nylon thread tails. The device is placed inside the uterus; the tail hangs down into the vagina. The IUD, which prevents conception by making the lining of the uterus unreceptive to pregnancy, It is the second most reliable in effectiveness. The IUD is inserted by a doctor..

The Diaphragm: It is a simple mechanical device that blocks the sperm from entering the uterus to prevents fertilization of the egg.

The diaphragm itself is a shallow cup of soft rubber stretched over and around a flexible ring, which is inserted into the vagina to cover the cervix—the entrance of the uterus. Because women’s internal measurements differ, the diaphragm must be fitted by a medically qualified person, who can determine, on examination, the type and  size required and who can instruct the woman on the correct method of inserting and removing it.

The Rhythm Method. Is based on abstinence from sexual intercourse during that period of the woman’s menstrual cycle when she is fertile and therefore likely to conceive. The disadvantage of the rhythm method lies in the difficulty of calculating the woman’s “safe” period. Very few women have regular menstrual cycles; the greater the irregularity, the greater the likelihood that the rhythm method will not work.

Coitus Interrupts (Withdrawal) The man withdraws his penis from the woman’s vagina just before the semen is ejaculated.

Douche: Used immediately after intercourse, the douche is designed to flush out all the sperm remaining in the vagina. It is an extremely unreliable method. First of all, it is almost impossible to wash out all the sperm, the fast moving sperm enter the neck of the uterus only seconds after the man has ejaculated.

Vasectomy: consists in cutting and tying the ends of the vas deferens, the two small tubes through which the sperm pass.

This breaks the connection between the testicles, where the sperm is produced, and the seminal vesicles, where the secretion that carries them is manufactured. It prevents any sperm from entering the semen and renders the ejaculation sterile.

Tubal Ligation: It, too, involves cutting and tying off the ends of two small tubes, in this case the fallopian tubes, through which the egg is carried from the ovaries to the uterus. By preventing the egg from reaching the uterus.