How to Avoid Pregnancy Through Family Planning

Avoiding pregnancy is easy, but it requires two things: knowledge of pregnancy prevention and willingness to do what it takes. There are many methods to prevent pregnancy, and choosing the method that most suits you and your partner will depend on your specific circumstances. The method that requires no instructions and is 100 percent effective is to abstain from heterosexual relations. The rest require a little more knowledge and sometimes technical assistance. There are pros and cons to each method that should also be carefully considered.

Things You'll Need

• Intrauterine device
• Cervical cap
• Condom
• Female condom
• Diaphragm
• Cervical sponge
• Contraceptive foam
• Contraceptive implant
• Contraceptive patch
• Contraceptive pills
• Contraceptive injection
• Vaginal ring
• Spermicidal foam or jelly
• Morning after pill
• Calendar
• Surgery

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Instructions

• 1

  Employ an unassisted practical method. Those methods include the rhythm method, withdrawal, outercourse and nursing. Women with regular menses can track their fertile days within each cycle and abstain from unprotected intercourse during those days. This method fails 3-5 percent of women per year. Withdrawal is when the male partner "pulls out" as he sense he is about to ejaculate. Depending on the discipline of the male partner, this method fails between 4-18 percent per year. Outercourse is sex without penile-vaginal contact, and when done correctly, it is 100 percent effective. Continuous breastfeeding (no pumps) in the first six months after a birth renders almost all women infertile for that period. Continuous breastfeeding has a failure rate of around 1 percent a year.

• 2

  Employ a hormonal method of birth control. These include hormonal intrauterine devices, implants, patches, pills, periodic injections and vaginal rings. Hormonal IUDs and implants are considered extremely effective, meaning less than 1 percent failure when used correctly. Patches, pills, shots and vaginal rings are considered very effective, meaning failure rates no higher than 1 percent when used correctly. Hormonal methods have documented side effects that should be understood, and some women find the side effects intolerable.

• 3

  Employ a barrier method of birth control. Barrier methods are methods that block passage of semen into the uterus. Barrier methods include condoms, female condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps and cervical sponges. These methods frequently have failure rates as high as 5 percent with correct use over the period of a year, which is why many people use spermicidal foam or jelly in conjunction with them to boost their efficacy. Condoms, male and female, have the added benefit of providing some protection from sexually transmitted diseases.

• 4

  Employ a surgical method of birth control. Vasectomy in men renders them sterile. Likewise, tubal ligation in women renders them sterile. These methods are 99 percent effective but should be carefully considered as they are considered permanent. Sterilization in both men and women can be reversed in an additional surgical procedure but is not recommended or guaranteed to bring back fertility.