Birth control, otherwise known as "contraception", is the method of preventing pregnancy. It can be done in a number of ways, some of which include:

• Using contraceptive tools like condoms to prevent sperm from reaching the egg.
• Taking contraceptive pills that prevent a woman's ovaries from releasing eggs that could be fertilised.
• There is also injection method containing prestogen. It is injected into a muscle and the hormone is released very slowly into the body.
• Sterilisation; a procedure that permanently stops men or women from being able to have children.

A person's choice of birth control depends on a number of different factors, like their health, their number of sexual partners, how often they have sex or whether they wish to have children in the future.

Methods of birth control

Barrier methods

Condoms are referred to as a "barrier method" and is the oldest known form of contraception. The best-known kind of condom is the male condom although women can use female condoms if they choose to do so.  Other forms of barrier contraceptives include the cervical cap (a rubber cap that fits over the cervix that prevents sperm from entering the uterus), spermicides (substances that disable sperm cells from entering the uterus) and the contraceptive sponge (a spongy cap that fits over the cervix and releases spermicides over a period of 24 hours which physically stops sperm from entering the uterus).

Hormonal contraceptives

These methods of contraception have a high success rate and work by controlling ovulation and preventing an embryo from being implanted in the wall of the uterus. The combined oral contraceptive pill is the best-known form of this type of birth control.  However alternatives exist in the form of:

• The skin patch: A patch that is applied to a woman's skin that slowly releases the hormones oestrogen and progestin to prevent pregnancy.
• The vaginal ring: A flexible device that fits into the vagina that releases oestrogen and progestin.

Injection contraceptives

The contraceptive injection contains a hormone called progestogen and is a long-term method of contraception. The injection provides some protection against both cancer of the womb and pelvic inflammatory disease. There are two types of injection:

• Depo-Provera or Petogen provides contraceptive protection for three months (12 weeks).
• Noristerate provides contraceptive protection for two months (eight weeks). Contraceptive injections are more than 99 per cent effective.

Natural family planning

This method of contraception involves the careful avoidance of unprotected intercourse during a woman's fertile period; the time she is most likely to get pregnant.  It also refers to unprotected intercourse during pregnancy and breastfeeding, times in a woman's life when she is naturally infertile.

Calendar birth control/ the rhythym method

The purpose of this method of contraception is to predict the period of ovulation during a woman's menstrual cycle according to her menstrual history. It has a reasonably high success rate although there is a level of risk involved depending on whether the period of ovulation is correctly predicted or not.

Cervical mucus birth control method

This method of contraception refers to the analysis of mucus patterns during a woman's menstrual cycle. Depending on certain chemical changes, a woman could determine when she is least likely to get pregnant.

Women are advised to seek a birth control method that suits them since one method may not be as agreeable or as reliable as another. Consult your doctor if you have any concerns about fertility or methods of contraception

Links:

• Medline Plus
• Mayoclinicl
• Health24
• South Africa.co.za
• Safersex

 Updated: 06 July 2010