Contraception: The Answers You’ve Been Looking For | PDF Download

Description:

Choosing the right method of contraception can be confusing: you need to consider your lifestyle, personal preference, any health conditions you might have, and how effective each method is at preventing pregnancy. Discussing options with your doctor may seem daunting, and information on social media can be misinformed and overwhelming. This handy guide, written by two experts in Sexual and Reproductive Health, will answer all your questions about contraception, helping you decide what works best for you. The authors walk you through every method of contraception, with information on how it works, how to use it correctly and how effective it is. The authors also explain how and when conception can occur during the menstrual cycle, how life stage can affect your choice, and how hormonal contraception can be used to help other health conditions. From the pill to the condom and everything in between, pick what’s right for you.

PREFACE

Women now have more sexual freedom without the risk of pregnancy than at any time in history, often starting in the teenage years and continuing into older age. This means that women are using contraception for much longer than ever before and are better able to plan if and when to have a family. With so much choice and so many misconceptions about contraception, navigating the best option can be difficult. However, it is really important to take time to make the right choice in relation to contraception. Half of pregnancies in the UK are thought to be unplanned. Many women underestimate both the risk of pregnancy, and the life-changing impact of an unplanned pregnancy, irrespective of the outcome.

We wanted to write this book to help women take control of their contraception. Never has there been such a selection with 14 method choices available. Information can be obtained from various sources, including friends, the internet, social media as well as healthcare professionals. However, in the world of social media, where everyone is entitled to an opinion, and misinformation sits alongside valid information, it is no wonder that information can seem conflicting and confusing. Women may be more likely to listen to a friend or an outspoken celebrity than to consider their personal contraceptive needs based on well-researched information. We often see women who switch frequently between methods or suddenly stop using contraception altogether. We also see women who persevere with a method that may not suit them because they are not aware of the alternative options. Many women don’t realise that the right method of contraception can contribute to overall well-being. Sex can be enjoyed without concerns about unplanned pregnancy, transmission of sexually transmitted infections is reduced by barrier contraception and common gynaecological problems such as heavy periods can be improved by the use of hormonal contraception. Most importantly, contraception enables women to plan their family.

In this book, we first go back to basics to remind the reader how and when conception can potentially occur during the menstrual cycle. This helps to understand when the risk of pregnancy is highest and when use of contraception is most needed. The two key take-home messages are that anyone who has ovaries and a uterus and has unprotected sex with someone with a penis and testicles is at risk of pregnancy, and that sperm can survive for several days!

We talk about factors that might influence choice and provide a more detailed chapter on each method of contraception. The aim is to provide a framework as the basis for an informed discussion with a healthcare professional about the most appropriate contraceptive choice at the current time of life.

We also aim to dispel many of the myths surrounding contraception: for example, an intrauterine contraceptive, widely known as the coil, is in fact suitable for women of any age, whether or not they have had a baby; the ‘morning-after pill’ is only effective before ovulation and is not the reliable method of contraception that many believe it to be; hormone treatments for gender reassignment and hormone-replacement therapy during the perimenopause do not provide contraceptive cover.

In writing this book, we hope to empower people of all ages to consider their individual contraceptive choices more carefully and to enjoy their sexual freedom without the fear of an unplanned pregnancy.