Contraception

• The 2 main methods of contraception is hormonal and non-hormonal (barrier method)
• A very common hormonal method of contraceptive method is to use oral contraceptives such as the pill

  • oral contraceptives contain hormones to inhibit FSH production so that no eggs mature
  • An advantage is that it is highly effective if it is taken correctly
  • A disadvantage is that it must be taken every day - if a woman forgets to take it, there's a risk of pregnancy
  • Some contraceptive pills have a risk of side effects - including risk of breast cancer or blood clots, however these risks are small
  • None of these protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Another hormonal form of contraception is to use an implant, skin patch or injection

  • injection, implant or skin patch of slow release progesterone to inhibit the maturation and release of eggs for a number of months or years
  • An advantage is that they are more convenient than taking a daily pill (e.g., the implant lasts 3 years, contraceptive injection lasts around 13 weeks and the patch lasts around one week)
  • A disadvantage is that these hormonal forms of contraception can have side effects
  • None of these protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Another form of contraception is to use barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms

  • These prevent the sperm reaching an egg
  • An advantage of barrier methods is that they have no side effects as they do not use hormones
  • Condoms can also reduce the risk of STIs
  • A disadvantage of condoms is that they can break or slip off
  • Both condoms and a diaphragm are more effective if they are used with a spermicide gel which kill or reduce sperm which reduce the chances of fertilisation
• Many women use an intrauterine device (IUD), sometimes called the coil

  • Intrauterine devices which prevent the implantation of an embryo or release a hormone to reduce the chances of fertilisation
  • An IUD is highly effective and can prevent pregnancy for up to 10 years
  • IUDs also have very few side effects
  • A disadvantage of IUD is that it doesn't protect against STI
• Some people choose surgical forms of contraception and this is called sterilisation

  • For women, this prevents the egg from reaching the uterus and for men, this prevents the sperm from leaving the penis
  • An advantage is that these are highly effective
  • A disadvantage is that they are very difficult to reverse, so a person has to be certain that they will never want children before going ahead
  • Surgical forms of contraception do not protect against STI
• A natural form of contraception is abstaining from sexual intercourse during the time after ovulation

  • A disadvantage is that it is very hard to tell when a woman has ovulated, making natural forms of contraception difficult
  • This method doesn't protect against STI
• There are many strong opinions on contraception. The Catholic Church teaches that all contraception is unethical apart from natural methods. Other people believe its a person's right to choose which form of contraception is best for them. Many people say using condoms reduces the risk of STI. The issues around contraception cannot be answered by science alone