Birth Control

Birth control, also known as contraception generally refers to methods or devices used to prevent pregnancy.The concept of birth control has been around for thousands of years and presently we have safer and more effective methods of birth control available to us.

With every sexual encounter that doesn’t involve some form of birth control, there is a chance you might get pregnant. Now while the thought of bringing new life into the world is good news to many, it is also something to think about carefully and make adequate preparations for. Hence the importance of birth control for sexually active individuals who are not yet ready for pregnancy or just want to plan the timing of pregnancy.

Planning, provision and use of birth control is called family planning. The implimentation of family planning programmes in developing countries has decreased the number of maternal deaths by an estimated 40%. By increasing the time between pregnancies, birth control can improve adult women’s delivery outcomes and the survival of their children.   This also has a ripple effect on women’s earnings, assets, overall health and their children’s schooling as these all improve with greater access to birth control.This also serves to increase economic growth because of fewer dependent children and more women participating in the workforce.

Several methods of birth control exist, each with its own pros and cons and there really isn’t a one size fits all approach to birth control. Each individual should decide on what method(s) to use based on her own unique situation.

Some factors to bear in mind when considering what type of birth control is well suited to you include:

• Your overall health
• How often you have sex
• The number of sex partners you have
• If you want to have children someday / how soon you want to have children
• How well each method works to prevent pregnancy
• Possible side effects
• Your comfort level with using the method
• How much the method costs
• If you’ve had problems with a different type of birth control
• How much effort it takes

Some birth control methods include:

• Continuous abstinence this is the most effective form of birth control, but abstinence-only sex education may increase the incidence of teen pregnancies when offered without contraceptive education.
• Hormonal methods include birth control pill, implants, vaginal ring, patch, intrauterine devices
• Natural family planning involves keeping good records and avoiding sex on the days you’re most fertile.
• Barrier methods include contraceptive sponge, diaphragm, female and male condoms
• Sterilization this involves surgery and is usually permanent.
• Emergency contraception this is usually a back up method used after unprotected sex.

Keep in mind, even the most effective birth control methods can fail. But whatever method you choose, if always used correctly significantly reduces your chances of getting pregnant.

I will go on to further explain some of the methods in more detail in subsequent posts but feel free to leave a comment with any questions or concerns you might have so far.