Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

In the majority of the cases women don’t want to get pregnant, and so they are looking for ways of preventing pregnancy. Due to modern technology there are numerous different options to choose from according to the kind of protection that you would like to have.

Birth control pills for pregnancy prevention

This is the kind of contraception that the majority of women have in mind. There are two main kinds – combined oral contraceptives that contain both estrogen and progesterone and progestin only pills, that just as the name suggests, come only with progestin.

Regarding pregnancy prevention you should know that COCs are working through regulating the periods and ovulation and it is known that it also acts against PID and endometrial and ovarian cancer. Nonetheless in case you have been smoking or you have a family history of cardiovascular diseases, you should avoid it.

On the other hand, the other pill preventing pregnancy acts through thickening and reducing the mucus of the cervix, thus making it almost impossible for the sperm to reach the egg. If the egg gets fertilized, it isn’t able to get implanted into the lining of the uterus, and so it is discarded during your period.

Injectable progestin

This method of pregnancy prevention can be used for three months. It is known as Depo-Provera and it acts by changing the mucus of the cervix, stopping the sperm to reach the egg and in the same time it also makes it impossible for the fertilized egg to get implanted into the uterus’ lining.

The advantage of this way of preventing pregnancy is that it is very efficient, and all women have to do is to see their doctor once every three months for a shot. As you may see the effects of the method are very similar to the progestin only pills and the side effects are just the same too.

Intrauterine devices

Such pregnancy prevention is also known as IUD. In the past the devices were known to cause infertility, pelvic infections and even death, but the devices that are used today are more efficient than any other available method. The device comes in the shape of a T and it is placed in the uterus by a professional.

There are two main ways of preventing pregnancy in case of IUDs. One of them can be used for up to ten years, while the other one has to be replaced on a yearly basis. This is the right choice for women who are living in monogamous relationships because they have no chance of contracting STIs.

Sponge

You may have heard about this pregnancy prevention method before, and it has been approved by the FDA again. It acts through releasing spermicide gel on the mucus of the vagina thus killing the sperm even before it could get to the egg. It can be inserted hours before sex, and it can be left in place for 12 hours.

The good thing about this way of preventing pregnancy is that women don’t have to replace the sponge in case they have several intercourses. There are some women who shouldn’t use the method, such as those who had toxic shock syndrome or who have allergy to nonoxyl-9.

Diaphragm

Pregnancy prevention of this kind is available through prescription and there are different sizes so your health care provider should recommend you the size to use. The method works through covering the cervix and this way the sperm can’t get into the uterus.

As you can see there are a lot of choices and methods when it comes to preventing pregnancy.