Contraceptives

Tablets & Condoms

For women, the easiest option is the pill. Marketed as the pull in the 1960s, it is literally a small pill taken daily to suppress the egg from ovulation.

The pill is taken every day for 21 days, and then a break of 7 days. This is to allow for the woman to have a period.

The pill is over 99% effective at its job, and it means that as few as 1 in 100 who use it will fall pregnant. This is all stated either by the doctor, or on the packaging of the tablets.

Condoms are the men's main go to for protection during sex. They are also available for women, in the form of female condoms. These go inside the vagina, whereas a male condom goes on the penis.

The condom is the only contraceptive that is able to protect from pregnancy and STIsA Sexually Transmitted Infection.. They are made from very thin latex rubber, polyisoprene and polyurethane. There are different types for the reason of allergies (mainly to latex).

Interesting fact: the first national rollout of contraceptives in a country was in India in 1952. This included a shift from a calendar based method of contraception, to sterilisation and IUDs (a device like a coil).

Here is a YouTube video from Cognito on contraceptives:

Other Methods of Contraception

There are other methods of contraception to consider. They include:

• Cap or diaphragm: this is as described, a cap that goes in to the vagina before sex, to cover the cervix so sperm cannot go in.
• Implant: placed in a woman's arm by the doctor or nurse, a small plastic rod that releases progestogen into the body. It lasts for up to three years.
• Injection: an injection to protect from pregnancy releases progestogen into the body. It lasts for up to 13 weeks.
• Patch: like you can get smoking patches, you can also use a small hormone patch that releases them into the body. You have 3 weeks using a patch, and change it weekly, then have 1 week off. Much like you would the pill.
• Coils: there are two types of coil you can have. One with a hormone release, and one without. They can last between 3 and 10 years, depending on which one you have.
• Vaginal ring: once placed inside the vagina, it releases hormones into the body to help stop pregnancy. They last for a month.

There are two more types of contraception, but these are a permanent fixture:

• Tubal ligation: this is where the fallopian tubes are tied together. This is a permanent operation and cannot be undone. It is also known as sterilisation.
• Vasectomy: performed on a male, this operation cuts or seals the tubes where the sperm are made in the testes. You will still have a full sex drive, and you will still ejaculate, but the semen will not contain sperm.