When deciding to prevent pregnancy, you have many options. If you think that you may want to have children in the future, choose a method of family planning that will leave your fertility intact. Weigh the pros and cons of hormonal, barrier and natural methods of birth control. Ask your doctor for advice to be sure you choose the type of birth control that is right for you.
Hormonal Methods of Birth Control
Hormonal methods of birth control include the birth control pill, patch, ring, shot and hormonal intrauterine device. The hormones work by causing ovulation to cease, thinning the uterine lining and making the cervical fluids too sticky for the sperm to swim in easily. One benefit of hormonal birth control is that it is quite effective when used properly. Vaginal rings and birth control patches must be changed regularly and birth control pills must be taken daily. These may be disadvantages if you find it hard to remember to do these things. Hormonal birth control methods also may cause significant health risks, including stroke, blood clots and heart attack. If you have a history of these conditions or if you smoke, hormonal birth control may not be safe for you. All hormonal birth control methods require a doctor's prescription, and they do not protect against sexually transmissible infections, warns the American Pregnancy Association.
Barrier Methods of Birth Control
Barrier methods of birth control include the diaphragm, cervical cap and female and male condoms. Diaphragms and cervical caps are available by prescription only and must be fitted by a doctor. Condoms are available over-the-counter and are relatively inexpensive. Benefits to barrier methods of birth control are that they are convenient to use, do not interfere with breastfeeding and have no effect on a woman's hormone levels. Disadvantages are that they may reduce the spontaneity of sex and may increase a woman's chance of developing a urinary tract infection. If you are allergic to latex, you must use brands that are non-latex. Using a spermicide with barrier methods may increase the effectiveness in preventing pregnancy.
Condoms can prevent sexually transmissible diseases. When used properly, male condoms are 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, says the Advocates for Youth. Female condoms are less effective and many women find them hard to use.
Depending on whether they are used perfectly and whether the woman has given birth vaginally before, diaphragms and cervical caps are between 60 and 94 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, says Planned Parenthood.
Natural Methods of Birth Control
Natural methods of birth control are those that do not require barriers or hormones to keep you from getting pregnant. Advantages include avoiding the risks associated with hormonal birth control and not needing to carry birth control with you. Aside from abstinence, natural birth control methods do not protect you against sexually transmissible infections. Some types of natural birth control are more effective than others. Abstinence, or refraining from sexual activity, is the one form that is 100 percent effective, says the American Pregnancy Association.
Natural family planning, often called NFP, requires taking your temperature each morning upon waking and keeping track of your cervical fluid and cervical position, and abstaining during your fertile times. While quite effective when used correctly, human error often makes it less so. NFP requires that most couples abstain for a week or more, though some couples decide to use other methods of birth control during this time.
Withdrawal requires the man to withdraw his penis from the woman's vagina before he ejaculates. Since some sperm are present in the seminal fluid that escapes from the penis before ejaculation, and since most couples do not use the method perfectly, this method is only about 81 percent effective, says the Center for Young Women's Health.
The rhythm method, sometimes called the calendar method, is not effective for many couples. With this method, the woman keeps track of the number of days between her cycles and calculates when she thinks she will ovulate. The couple abstains from sex during this time. Since the woman does not observe fertility signs, an earlier- or later-than-usual ovulation can cause her to become pregnant unintentionally.
