Every month, there comes a phase when your body is most likely to get pregnant. This phase usually lasts for up to six days and is known as the fertile window.
The logic is that a sperm can survive inside a female body for about a week while an egg can survive only for one day. Therefore, if you have sex on or a few days before ovulation, you will be most likely to have a pregnancy.
Continue reading “How to get pregnant : what is the best time ?”
Contraception or birth control is a means to prevent pregnancy which works by interfering with the process of ovulation, also called as fertilization or implantation. There are different measures of birth control which can help in achieving contraception. Before taking any preventive measures it is important to understand how the ovulation cycle works.
In every month the women’s body release an egg or the ovum which matures, and the mucus is secreted from the cervix which is an organ placed at the lower end of women’s uterus. Further the lining of uterus grows in preparation for receiving a fertilized egg when sperm comes in contact with it. Birth control (contraception) are designed to interfere in the normal process of birth and prevent pregnancy which may occur. There are multiple kinds of birth control measures that can be used at different points during the process, right from ovulation to fertilization till implantation is done. Each method comes with its own consequences and risks. Some of the methods proven to be more reliable are mentioned below.
They include tablets which is taken by mouth or orally. The birth control pills are the ideal example of Oral contraception’s and must be taken every day. These pills contain estrogen and progestin that are known to suppress ovulation.
Risks:
These are the soft rubber cap which are placed around the cervix region, also known as Spermicides. The Cervical cap is obtained by doctor’s prescription. They are inserted just before the intercourse. It may be sometimes difficult to insert. The failure rate is between 17-23%, depending on type of cap.
Risks:
This is a condom with lubricated sheath material which is to be inserted in the vagina.It has a shape similar to male condom, and comes with a circular flexible ring.
The Female Condom is applied immediately before the intercourse, and is allowed for single use only. The failure rate is 21 %.
Risks:
The Male Condoms are made of Latex or materials like polyurethane sheath and is supposed to be placed over an erect penis before intercourse and is recommended for single use only. They are widely available in any medical drugstores. Condoms give best protection against all kinds of sexually transmitted diseases. But non-latex condoms don’t prevent the spreading of HIV and other STDs.
Risks:
It’s a hormonal medication injection that inhibits the ovulation process, this injection is obtained by prescription and it taken in every three months. The failure rate is less than 1 percent.
Risks:
Diaphragm are dome-shaped with rubber disk that can cover the cervix. Diaphragm are given only with prescription. Diaphragms are inserted before the intercourse and should be left in place at least for minimum six hours. The failure rate is about 17 percent.
Cons:
The feminine douche is used immediately after the intercourse to wash out the accumulated sperm. But Douching has proved to be ineffective as the sperm travel very quickly to cervix. It has a failure rate of 40 percent.
The intra uterine devices is T-shaped which is inserted in the women’s uterus to avoid pregnancy. IUD’s can be kept in the uterus for the span one, five till 10 years, depending on your need. IUD’s are proved to be safer as they have a failure rate of less than 1 percent. You need to worry about fertility once it’s inserted.
Risks:
Surgical Tubal sterilization is a form of surgery done by tying tubes around the cervix. A doctor must perform the sterilization procedure in a hospital or a surgical clinic. The use of anesthesia is must during the surgery. This sterilization may cause infection and bleeding.
Cons:
Also known as emergency contraceptive pills are similar to the normal birth control pills, with an only difference that it must be consumed within 72 hours or 3 days of having unprotected intercourse. These pills are proven to reduce pregnancy risk up to 80 percent.
Spermicide is a foam kind of creamy film a bit jelly type, suppository or tablet which contains nonoxynol-9.Spermicide is inserted between five to ninety minutes before the intercourse and must be left in place for six to eight hours post that. Spermicide has a failure rate between 20-50 percent.
Risks:
The contraceptive patch has a small patch that stick to the skin and controls the release of estrogen and progestrogen. It is proved to stop ovulation giving 99 percent effective. It helps get periods lighter and be more regular. No need to worry about adding or removing it. New patch is added may be once in a week or three times in week, following by no patch for one week.
Risks:
May lead to temporary side effects like headaches, mood swings, breast tenderness, and nausea.
Miscarriage is when a baby dies in the womb within 20 weeks of pregnancy. Almost 10 % of the pregnancies end up in a miscarriage. However, this is only the recorded figure. It is very much possible for the rates to be higher as miscarriages can also occur well before the woman has even grown aware of the pregnancy. Miscarriages are most likely to happen during the first and the second trimester. The percentage of miscarriages in the first and second trimester is 10 to 15 % and 1 to 5 % respectively. By the third trimester, the fetus is fully formed and quite healthy. Therefore, the rate of miscarriage during this period almost drops down to zero.
Contraception means birth control process, which prevents pregnancy. There are many methods of contraception. Over the time there has been numerous changes taking place regarding the contraceptive methods. Some methods of contraception are:
A person can use any of these methods of contraception depending on the situation, i.e. health, age etc. of the person. Though these methods cannot give 100% result yet many of these are effective if used faithfully.
Barrier method prevents the sperm into entering the uterus. Barrier methods include Condom, Diaphragm, cervical cap, Spermicidal sponge, foam etc.
Condoms are one of the most popular contraceptives used by people now a day in order to prevent pregnancy. There are both Male and Female condoms. A male condom is a thin cover made of latex rubber. It is worn to cover the penis while doing intercourse.
It prevents the sperm in entering the uterus and thus prevents pregnancy. On the other hand, female condom is a sheath which is inserted in the female sex organ. The sheath acts as barrier to the sperm to come into the contact of cervix. Condoms should be removed immediately once the intercourse is over. It should not be reused and both the partners should never use condoms at a same time.
Condoms are very effective measures of contraception used to prevent pregnancy. If used perfectly then condoms can be effective up to 98% in preventing pregnancy. The condoms which are made of latex are effective in preventing the sexually transmitted diseases like HIV AIDS also.
Both male and female condoms do not have any side effects. But some time it may cause irritation or allergy to the user. Now a day condoms are available in almost all the stores. These are less expensive and easy to use. Since condoms prevent the STDs so these are recommended by physicians also.
Diaphragm is another measures of contraceptive used to prevent pregnancy. It is a shallow cup shaped soft and thin thing made of silicon or latex. It is inserted into the female sex organ to cover the cervix. It is used as a barrier so that the sperm cannot come into contact with the cervix. In order to get best result, one should use it with spermicide. It should be left for at least 6 hours after the intercourse. Then it can be taken out and washed. Diaphragms are reusable. Diaphragms are available in different sizes and can be used the right size with the help of a doctor. Diaphragm does not give protection against the STDs.
There are four types of diaphragms available. These are:
So with the help of a doctor one can find out the type of diaphragm suitable for her.
Diaphragm is effective when it is used with spermicide. It can give 92-96% accuracy in preventing pregnancy. After using, diaphragm can be removed easily and can be re used. It should be washed with warm water. However no detergent or oil based product should be used to clean the diaphragm.
Using of Diaphragm is very easy and convenient. One can easily use this before going to do intercourse. And one most important thing is that it does not have any serious health issue. However sometime it may cause urinary tract infection and vaginal irritation. Once it is seen, one should immediately contact the physician.
The Intra Uterine Device which also stands for, is another method of birth control used by women to prevent pregnancy. It is the small device which is shaped as T-shaped which is wrapped in copper. It contains hormone in it. The IUD in the uterus is inserted with the help of a doctor. It is one of the most effective, safe and reversible contraception processes of all. There two different types of IUD. These are:
The IUD is inserted by a doctor. It can be inserted at any time. The insertion procedure is very simple sometime needs a small surgery.
The IUD is a highly effective birth control method. It can give almost 100% accuracy regarding prevention of pregnancy. Apart from this it is less expensive contraception and it does not cause any weight gain. It is a reversible process i.e. it can be removed if one wants to be pregnant. And once it is removed, fertility returns quickly to the woman without causing any problem. It does not interfere in the process of intercourse. The women who need birth control in a long term basis, IUD are the best option.
However there are some side effects of hormonal IUD. These side effects depend on the type of IUD one is used. It may cause breast tenderness, headache, acne etc. Apart from these, it may cause infection when it is put in. A copper IUD may cause heavy bleeding during periods. However, if any symptoms are seen, though rare, then one should immediately contact the physician.
So to conclude, it can be said that these are some contraceptive methods used by women. Among different processes of contraception, these fall into the category of barrier method. These all are very popular and effective birth control measures.
Emergency contraception pills are birth control pills that can be taken after an unprotected sexual intercourse for preventing unwanted pregnancy. These pills are also known as ECPs (Emergency Control Pills) and the morning after pills and produce results by altering the hormone levels in the body. There are different types of birth control pills that need to be taken within a certain period of having sex. Levonorgestrel for e.g. has to be taken within 72 hours of having sex for maximum effectiveness. Any delay, and the chances of pregnancy will be highly increased. Then there are some pills that can be taken up to 5 days after having sex. These can, however, be purchased only with a doctor’s prescription.
The fertility of a woman is mainly connected with the eggs that are stored in the ovaries. Females come with these eggs at the time of birth itself. When born, she will have around two million eggs in her ovaries, but with maturation, these eggs start dying out and around 400 of them are discarded through menstruation cycle alone.
Natural contraceptives mean natural family planning which does not require any medication or device. These methods are natural because these do not require any hormonal manipulation from an external agent. It totally depends on the mindset of the partners involved in the intercourse. Continue reading “The Natural Contraception”
To have a better understanding of the female reproductive anatomy, it is better to study it in two parts the external and the internal female sex organs.
Continue reading “How does my body work : anatomy of a woman”
There are mainly two types of pregnancy test, the urine test, and the blood test. Both of these methods rely on the detection of the hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG. This hormone is released by the placenta shortly after the embryo attaches itself to the uterine lining.
Continue reading “How to know if I am pregnant ? The means to know”
Pregnancy symptoms are not the same for all women. In fact, they may not even be the same for one woman during different pregnancies. The symptoms vary in intensity, duration, and frequency. Sometimes, they can be just so mild that you will feel like it’s just the normal onset of periods while the reality may be different. The symptoms could be physical as well as emotional. Given below is a list of what you might experience after conceiving. It is best to immediately have a pregnancy test so that you can be certain of what it really is.
Continue reading “How to know if I am pregnant? The signs that make you doubt”
