CONTRACEPTION AT A GLANCE
- There is a contraception method to suit everyone
- You can choose long or short-term to fit your lifestyle
- It’s a great idea to talk through the different methods with your healthcare provider to find the one perfect for you
WHAT IS IT?
What Is Contraception?
With so many different methods to choose from you will find one that suits you perfectly. Each method differs in how effective they are, how long they last, how they work and where you can get hold of them.
There are two main types, hormonal methods and barrier methods. Hormonal methods introduce hormones to your body to make it act differently, some stop you from releasing eggs completely, some just make it difficult for sperm to reach the egg that is released. Barrier methods stop sperm from getting anywhere near the egg in the first place by stopping them as soon as they are released.
There are other methods available but they a generally considered to be less reliable but your healthcare provider and this website have more information for you to explore on all methods available to you.
DON’T MYTH WITH ME
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
There is still an old-fashioned opinion floating around that long-term users of hormonal contraceptives should take a regular break from use for a few months to allow the body to "recover" from the hormones contained in it. This is why some women still come off hormonal contraceptives for several weeks or months at a time. We now know that there is no reason to take a break from taking hormones, and it may even be harmful.
Taking breaks like this does not improve your ability to conceive either: the length of time for which you take hormones has no influence on that.
It depends on the type of pill. Most pills work across a 28 day cycle including the pill-free or placebo interval, which means you have one pack for each cycle.
With some you have to take a hormonal pill every day. With others you take a hormonal pill every day for 21 or 24 or even 26 days of the cycle, and then have a hormone free break of seven or four or only two days where either no pills are taken or a hormone free pill is taken.
During this break, you will still be protected and you will have a menstruation-like bleed.
An IUS insertion is usually well tolerated by most women. Some women may experience pain and dizziness after insertion, which usually settles after resting for a short time. Normal pain killers or local anesthesia may be applied to the uterine cervix prior to the insertion.
Compared to modern hormonal methods, condoms are less reliable and effective in protecting against pregnancy but they are the only method that will protect against STIs, including HIV/AIDS.
No, reuse of any condom is not recommended – male or female. A new condom should be used every time you have intercourse.
Withdrawal is less effective than most other contraceptive methods. As commonly used, it is only 78 percent effective, meaning that 22 of every 100 women whose partners use withdrawal will become pregnant over a year.
If you are regularly taking the pills, you are very unlikely to be pregnant. The pill is highly effective. If your period does not come, it does not necessarily mean that you are pregnant as long as you did take it as directed. It could be that the lining of your womb has not built up very much and is therefore not being expelled. If menstruation does not come for more than two months in a row talk to your doctor or healthcare provider before you start taking the new strip.
The emergency pill must be taken within 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected sex. The sooner it is taken, the more effective it is. It is most effective if it is taken within the first 24 hours after unprotected sex.
No not all, however it is far better to bathe and make sure that anything with ejaculate on it does not get near the vagina within one to six hours, their known lifespan outside the body.
