Prevention From Unintended Pregnancy

When it’s desired, getting pregnant or conceiving a baby is a happy moment for a couple. However, at times we just aren’t prepared to have kids, and that’s when a pregnancy becomes unwanted.

Not that you can’t terminate a pregnancy (the procedure is termed as abortion, or medical termination of pregnancy (MTP)), but it might still not be the ideal thing for you to go through. Given the scenario, prevention appears to be the best bet to take up.

Following are the different ways I discovered to protect oneself from an unwanted pregnancy.

• Abstain from sex (this is the only method that’s supposedly 100% effective!)

The rest of the methods I felt were better classified into 5 different categories, namely Barrier Methods, Intrauterine Device (IUD), Hormonal Birth Control, Sterilization and Natural Family Planning.

• Barrier Methods: Under this head the following are used.

• Condoms (male condoms: more effective;female condoms: less effective)
• The diaphragms
• Cervical Caps
• Spermicides
• Shields
• Contraceptive Sponges

• Intrauterine Devices (IUD)

• Hormonal Birth Control: The following fall under this category.

• Pills
• Injections
• Skin patches
• Vaginal rings
• Hormonal implants

• Sterilization:

• Male sterilization operation, e.g. vasectomy (if you’re a man!)
• Female sterilization operation (e.g Tubal ligation)

• Natural Family Planning:

• Not having sex when the woman partner is most likely to get pregnant.

I especially found THIS resource comprehensive and helpful.

According to a recent study by New York’s Guttmacher Institute, “…28 million women in the United States are at risk for an unintended pregnancy...”

With so many people (women and their concerned partners) not in favor of getting pregnant, prevention seems to be the best cure in sight.