Pregnancy Prevention Options

According to the Department of Health and Human Services' Center For Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Sexually active couples need to discuss ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy, weighing all the options and making a decision that feels right to both partners. Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent pregnancy, ranging from temporary to semi-permanent and permanent options.

Barrier Methods

According to vasectomy.com, using barriers of one kind or another is an effective way, especially when coupled with spermicide (which kills sperm), to prevent unwanted pregnancy. The most common---and highly effective---option that also protects against sexually transmitted diseases is a condom, a formfitting sheath that's placed over an erect penis. By contrast, a cervical cap---a dome-shaped latex barrier placed over a woman's cervix to block sperm from entering the uterus---may be used, as can a diaphragm, a rubber cap that gets covered with spermicide and is placed in the vagina to cover the womb. Another option is the female condom, a lubricated polyurethane device that's about the length of a male condom, only wider; it is inserted into the vagina, and used to inhibit the passage of sperm.

Hormonal Methods

Birth control pills, which often contain estrogen and progestin, are pills taken by mouth to prevent pregnancy, according to Healthwise. Healthwise also points to mini-pills, which contain progestin only, as a way to prevent ovulation. Another option is using a hormone implant, such as Norplant, which involves having small pellets of a progesterone-like hormone implanted in the upper arm to prevent pregnancy. A hormone injection, such as Depo-Provera, is effective, too. Women also can opt to wear a skin patch on the abdomen, upper body or buttocks, which releases progestin and estrogen into the bloodstream, according to the CDC. In each case, side effects---which range from irregular menstrual cycles to nausea and weight gain---need to be considered.

Permanent Options

Considered permanent, a vasectomy is greater than 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, according to Planned Parenthood. The procedure, which uses a local anesthetic and can be performed in a doctor's office, can be done in two ways: the traditional method and a less-invasive no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) procedure. In the case of a traditional vasectomy, notes vasectomy.com, the surgeon uses a scalpel to make an incision or two in the scrotum, exposing the vas deferens tubes from each testicle. The vas deferens are then lifted, cut and tied or cauterized before being returned to the scrotal sac and closed with stitches. The NSV procedure, by contrast, involves locating the vas deferens by hand; they're then held with a small clamp, and a small opening is made with small pointed forceps, rather than a scalpel, before they're lifted out, cut and tied or cauterized. The vas deferens are returned to the scrotal sac and, possibly, closed with stitches; however, the opening is much smaller than a traditional incision and may not require sutures, according to vasectomy.com. Also considered permanent, a woman may elect to have a tubal ligation, a surgical procedure that involves tying, cauterizing or cutting the fallopian tubes to block the passage of the egg from the ovaries into the uterus. Women also may choose transcervical sterilization, which involves threading a device into each fallopian tube to scar and plug them.

Other Methods

Although they're considered a risky way to avoid unwanted pregnancy, notes vasectomy.com, couples may choose the following methods: withdrawal (attempting to withdraw the penis from the vagina before sperm is ejaculated) or the rhythm method, which endeavors to predict a woman's cycle while abstaining from intercourse her most fertile five to 15 days per month. Alternatively, Planned Parenthood says an intrauterine device (IUD)---a small plastic mechanism that causes inflammation to block sperm and prevent a fertilized egg from being implanted---is an effective pregnancy prevention option.