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[Q17]Questions About Birth Control

by Cristel Lumabas, Cri

One of the many contraceptive methods in preventing pregnancy would be the use of sponge birth control. It is a vaginal barrier that prevents pregnancy by keeping the sperm from fertilizing an egg inside a woman's ovary produced each month. However, the use of sponge birth control does not protect the user from sexually transmitted diseases that is why a condom should be used as a back-up. The 'sponge' looks like a small, donut-shaped foam that contains Nonoxynol-9, a spermicide ingredient.

Fairly easy to insert, the sponge birth control is placed in the vagina and prevents pregnancy by releasing a spermicide. It works by killing or paralyzing the sperm that comes into the vagina. A ?dimple? on one side of the sponge fits over the cervix to form a barrier to prevent sperm from reaching the egg. This dimple also lessens the chances that the sponge will move out of place during sexual intercourse. Having only one size, the other side of the sponge has a loop for easy removal after use.

The sponge birth control is soft and is not noticeable once inserted. In case it feels uncomfortable, the sponge may removed and re-inserted correctly. If this happens, one needs to gently reposition the sponge deep into one's sexual organ until it covers the cervix, but be careful not to push the fingernail through. Feeling the loop of the sponge is a sign that it is properly inserted. Usually, sponge birth control is available in most drug stores, and does not need a prescription. This costs around $3 each and comes in 3 or 12-piece pack.

The contraceptive sponge may have a decrease in effectiveness once the woman has already given birth. Normally, the sponge birth control method is about 87% effective. This means that in 100 women who use this kind of birth control, 13 women can become pregnant in a year, all with typical use. In addition, the sponge birth control does not protect against STDs. In fact, using spermicides (like the ones contained in the sponge) is not recommended for those women who have multiple daily acts of sexual intercourse.

Allergies from using the contraceptive sponge is rare, but some women can be allergic to the active ingredient of the sponge (spermicide), the preservative, or the polyurethane foam. If in case one experiences any localized itching, burning, redness, rash or irritation, it is better to discontinue the use of the sponge, and call the doctor or gynecologist for more information. It is best to consult with them before using this method of birth control since an allergy to certain drugs can be harmful to one's health. When using this form of birth control, it is best to use it together with a condom, for this will increase the effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, and also lessen the chances of getting an STD. Additional information for using sponge birth control includes the very low risk of getting toxic shock syndrome. It is also not advisable to use during a woman's menstruation, after childbirth, or after a miscarriage.

The terms relating to the birth control pill in most cases describe a group of drugs taken by women in order to avoid getting pregnant. Then in 1955 two specialists introduced the concept of birth control pills when they used progestins for birth control. Prior to these being introduced many women had to rely on condoms, diaphragms, sponges and in some cases avoiding sexual intercourse altogether during the time when they were more fertile. Unfortunately abstaining from sexual intercourse had its own problems with relating to efficiency (it was very low) compared to those who used either the condom, diaphraghm or sponges. But in addition it was found that by supplying estrogens to the make up of this line of products made them more efficientin their use.

Now we will look at the different types of birth control pills readily available today. Due to the increase in sales of birth control pills there has been extensive research carried out and so there are different types of pills which are able to cater for the many different groups around the world. In general there are 4 types of birth control pills and alongside these there are certain injections which can be used for long term birth control. The 4 types of pills we are looking at are as follows:-

1. Combined pills
This type of pill contains both estrogen and progestin and is the most popular of all birth control pills used today. Such a pill needs to be taken daily and each course contains 28 pills.

2. Phased Regime pills
These pills are seldom used nowadays and will often only be given to women who are over the age of 35.

3. Minipill
This one is different as it is for women who are unable to take estrogen for some reason as it does not contain any.

4. Postcoital or Emergency Pill
This one will be used to allow a women to stop getting pregnant in situations where they can get pregnant because of unprotected sexual intercourse. A pill like this needs to be taken within 3 days of the woman having unprotected sexual intercourse.

Now, what about some advantages and disadvantages relating to the birth control pill and these are shown below.

Advantages

The pill is said to be at least 10 times more effective than other more traditional methods of birth control. They are also more customer compliant as they should not need to be used only at the time of sexual intercourse.

Disadvantages
Some of the birth control pills can cause definite side effects such as sickness, weight changes, breakthrough bleeding, blood glucose changes, mood changes,hypertension, clot formations in a patients leg and lung veins. So it is very important that a woman sits down with her doctor and discusses the best option for her before a solution is prescribed.

Article Source : How Do You Get Birth Control

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Both Cristel Lumabas & Kw Webber are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Cristel Lumabas has sinced written about articles on various topics from Birth Control, Health and Birth Control. Choose Variety of High Quality Medicines at Enjoyed Reading this article? More here:. Cristel Lumabas's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.

Kw Webber has sinced written about articles on various topics from Birth Control, Family and Video. KW Webber has a series of sites with more information. Kw Webber's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.