Contraceptives, also known as birth control, are drugs or devices used to prevent pregnancy. Contraceptives work by preventing the man's sperm from fertilizing a woman's egg. Barrier methods of contraceptives include condoms, diaphragms,...
Once a taboo topic, contraceptives have shaped history and the lives of women. The Dittrick Medical History Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio recognized the importance of contraceptives when it accepted the donation of...
Regardless of whether you are married or just dating someone, the decision to use or not to use family planning methods is an important one. Family planning methods include both natural birth control behaviors and protective birth control devices,...
Family planning is considered any method of encouraging or discouraging pregnancy through natural or artificial means. While some people choose to just let nature take its course with regard to pregnancy, some couples choose to use family planning...
Abnormal uterine, or vaginal, bleeding is any bleeding that women experience unrelated to normal menstruation. Abnormal uterine bleeding is one of the most common reasons women see their physicians, according to the American Congress of...
Vaginal bleeding, as a result of menstruation, is a normal gynecological process that occurs periodically when the female body sheds its uterine lining. Unless pregnancy occurs, this process happens for most mature women every four weeks, and it...
Bacterial vaginosis, or BV, is a common form of vaginitis---that is, an inflammation or infection of the vaginal tissues. It results from an imbalance in the naturally occurring, healthy bacteria that are always present in the body. According to...
A large number of sexually active teens are either not using birth control or not using it correctly. According to KidsHealth.org, an estimated 750,000 adolescent girls become pregnant each year in the United States. In the vast majority of these...
Menstruation is a reproductive process that involves the shedding of the uterine lining to allow for a new reproductive cycle. Normal menstruation can occur anywhere from 21 to 35 days and bleeding may last for a couple of days to several days,...
Contraception involves taking action to prevent pregnancy. The basic facts about contraception can help clear up any misunderstandings about birth control, as well as provide new information on the topic. Basic facts about contraception are...
For many years, experts have investigated the effects of low body fat on menstrual cycles in women. Some women with low body fat percentages report several irregularities, including infrequent periods, abnormally painful periods and even no period...
The best kinds of birth control options for the disabled depend on the type of disability a person has. Those with physical disabilities can usually use the same kinds of birth control options as able-bodied adults, such as condoms and...
In August of 1960 the first birth control hit the marketplace in the United States. The pill promised to give women control of their reproductive cycles. It allowed them to engage in sexual relations without fear of getting pregnant. Within a year...
When your fallopian tubes become infected to the point that they enlarge and fill with fluid, the tubes are referred to as hydrosalpinx. Because the tubes are severely restricted, chances are you cannot undergo a normal pregnancy because the sperm...
The American Heart Association reports that for the average, healthy adult, the heart beats about 60 to 80 times a minute when at rest. As you age, it’s not unusual for your heart rate to rise. People who are physically fit typically have a...
An intrauterine device (IUD) provides an effective means of long-term birth control. While IUD use is popular throughout the world, only 2 percent of American women use this form of birth control, according to the American College of Obstetricians...
Condoms are devices that create a barrier and prevent contact of the vagina with semen. There are both male and female condoms available and both are effective in preventing pregnancy. Male condoms are made of latex, polyurethane or lamb skin,...
The NuvaRing is a prescription birth control device that contains an estrogen hormone and a progestin hormone. The manufacturer states that these hormones work in tandem to prevent ovaries from producing mature eggs, thus reducing the risk of...
IUDs, or intrauterine devices, are a type of birth control that is inserted into the woman's uterus. The American Pregnancy Association states that the IUD is a T-shaped plastic unit, though the makeup of the device varies.
NuvaRing, a unique form of birth control, offers many benefits. Users insert a small flexible ring into the vagina each month to protect against conception. Over the course of the month, it releases a low dose of hormones into your body. Since...
Birth control is a way to prevent pregnancy. There are many different types of birth control and the effectiveness of the various birth control methods differs. The effectiveness increases when two or more methods are combined.
Women have the choice to prevent pregnancies through the use of birth control. Some forms of birth control, like birth control pills and intrauterine devices (IUDs), contain hormones that alter a woman's body; when use properly, the hormones will...
An intrauterine device, or IUD, is a birth control device that is implanted in the uterus. Your health care provider will perform a pelvic exam and make sure that you are not pregnant before inserting the IUD.
Implanon (etonogestrel implant) is an implantable birth control device. It is composed of a plastic single rod that contains a form of synthetic progesterone. It is inserted by your physician under the skin on the inner side of your upper arm. A...
The causes of menorrhagia, or prolonged menstrual bleeding, range from harmless and benign to quite serious. Since prolonged menstrual bleeding may be a symptom of serious illness, women should always call a doctor when experiencing this...
Women seeking to prevent pregnancy have many contraceptive choices, including vaginal foam. Vaginal foam is an easily available and cheap form of contraception, with few of the long-term side effects of other choices, such as hormonal birth...
Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, are a one-time, long-lasting, hormone-based birth control. An IUD is a T-shaped piece of plastic that either contains copper or a synthetic progesterone hormone, and is inserted inside the uterus. The IUD releases a...
Painful urination is usually the first sign that you may have a case of cystitis. Cystitis is an infection in the bladder or tubes from the bladder. Some stomach pain, cloudy urine, a foul smell to the urine and even blood in the urine can all...
An intrauterine device, or IUD, is a plastic or copper birth control device that is shaped like the letter T. It is placed in the uterus by a gynecologist as an outpatient procedure. An IUD can remain in the uterus for up to 3 to 5 years before it...
