What is contraception?
Contraception is the control of conception, that is, preventing pregnancy from occurring, allowing the woman, or the couple, to plan and define when they want to have a child.
To do this, several methods are used:
- Natural
- barrier
- Hormonal
- Copper device
- tubal ligation
- vasectomy
All these methods have different mechanisms of action, for temporary or permanent use.
What is the purpose of contraception?
Contraception aims to prevent or reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant. The choice of a method of contraception should be individualized and made according to the wishes and health condition of the woman.
What is family planning?
Family planning is the use of contraception to plan and make the decision to have children, and when to do so. It is a right that everyone has.
Success in choosing a contraceptive method depends on a voluntary and informed decision about:
- safety
- effectiveness
- costs
- Side effects
- Reversibility of available methods
Are there different types/methods of contraception?
Yes. There are several types/methods of contraception:
- Reversible methods
- Natural
- barrier:
- male condom
- female condom
- Hormonal:
- Oral: Pill
- Vaginal: Ring
- Transdermal: Patch
- injectable, subcutaneous: implant
- intrauterine: hormonal device
- Non-hormonal intrauterine: copper device
- emergency
- Irreversible/definitive methods
- tubal ligation
- vasectomy
How do contraceptive methods work?
How contraceptives work will depend on the method:
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What should I take into account when choosing a contraceptive method?
There are a number of questions that should be asked when choosing a contraceptive method:
- Is it effective?
- Is it right for my lifestyle?
- Is it reversible?
- Is it affordable?
- Are there any risks to my health?
Which option is right for me?
There is no one-size-fits-all method. Each woman or couple should choose the most appropriate method for their personal health situation or condition, considering:
- Age
- The state of health
- When and if you plan to get pregnant
- Interval between pregnancies
- Improved quality of life: control of menstrual pain, acne, premenstrual syndrome, among other aspects
When choosing a contraceptive, what does the doctor need to know?
The help of a healthcare professional in choosing the contraceptive method is always recommended. However, it is important that the health professional has some information about you, such as:
- if it's healthy
- regularity of menstruation, normal or heavy flow, menstrual pain
- if you have any illness, and if so what illness
- whether there is a familial disease, and if so, what disease
- If there is any aspect of your health that you want to improve, such as the presence of acne or mood swings in the premenstrual phase.
What are the advantages of long-acting contraception?
Long-acting contraceptive methods (implant and hormonal and copper intrauterine contraceptives) have been studied so that they can be used by women for a prolonged period.
They avoid the need for daily, weekly or monthly intake. As they do not depend on the collaboration of users, they are therefore more effective.
Source: Sociedade Portuguesa da Contracepção (SPDC)