All of us have heard about family planning programs publicized through the media, health care and educational centers and other organizations, but only a few people, or those attending these programs, know exactly the focal point of them are education in birth control.
There are as many birth control methods as there are contraceptive needs that change throughout your life, so before deciding on any of them you need to know first if it will fit into your lifestyle, protecting you against sexually transmitted infections, and also if it is safe, effective, affordable, convenient, and reversible.
Because 85% of women who do not use contraceptives during vaginal intercourse become pregnant each year, the use of birth control methods can greatly reduce the risk of pregnancy during vaginal intercourse, however, not having vaginal intercourse is the only guarantee against pregnancy.
Choosing the best birth control method also involves your sexual partner's preference and your common goals, values, likes and dislikes, as well as your daily lifestyle and even your sexual activities to find which contraceptive fits for you. Other personal considerations may take place, as an example, when you have had problems or become pregnant using certain methods before, or when you try to hide its use from your partner.
Some birth control methods may cause problems, such as forgetting when to use the method, when the methods are against the religious or moral beliefs of the partners, when it is embarrassing for you or your partner, or when it causes trouble using it correctly, which interrupts the intercourse, or if one of the partners is afraid to use the method.
The most popular birth control methods in the United States , in no particular order are condoms, oral contraceptives, barrier methods, injectables, spermicides, transdermal contraceptive patch, intrauterine devices, intrauterine systems, vaginal ring, fertility awareness-based (FAB) methods, sterilization, vasectomy and abstinence or outercourse.
All of the above birth control methods have been proven safe when they are used properly. Some of them can help prevent a person from getting or passing on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as Chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, and syphilis, which are infections, or an illness that spreads through sexual contact, including HIV/AIDS.
The most popular combined method is using a combination of a male latex condom in conjunction with other contraceptive methods. Although some contraceptives have side effects, most of them can be managed or relieved if you get advice from your physician, who also has the answer for any question regarding the different birth control methods.
If your choice is a reversible birth control method, the contraception is not permanent, and once you stop the method, your ability to have children will return if there are no other health problems presences, like infertility. However, for some women it is normal to take from 3 to 18 months before their ability to get pregnant after using contraceptives.
