Contraceptives

• Fertility can be controlled by a variety of hormonal and non-hormonal methods of contraception
• Oral contraceptives contain hormones to inhibit FSH production so that no eggs mature
• Injections, implants or skin patches slowly release progesterone to inhibit the maturation and release of eggs for a number of months or years
• Barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms prevent the sperm reaching an egg and sexually transmitted diseases
• Spermicidal agents kill or disable sperm
• Abstaining from intercourse when an egg may be in the oviduct is not a reliable form of contraception
• Sterilisation involves cutting or tying the fallopian tubes or the sperm duct
• Abstinence is the most reliable way to avoid pregnancy
• Giving FSH and LH in a ‘fertility drug’ to a woman can cause her to become pregnant in the normal way
• Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are a long-acting reversible contraceptive method that is inserted into the uterus.
• In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment

  • IVF involves giving a mother FSH and LH to stimulate the maturation of several eggs
  • The eggs are collected from the mother and fertilised by sperm from the father in the laboratory
  • The fertilised eggs develop into embryos
  • At the stage when they are tiny balls of cells, one or two embryos are inserted into the mother’s uterus (womb)
• Although fertility treatment gives a woman the chance to have a baby of her own

  • It is very emotionally and physically stressful
  • The success rates are not high
  • It can lead to multiple births which are a risk to both the babies and the mother