Biological Sciences
Contraception
Contraception refers to the deliberate use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. It can involve various approaches, such as hormonal methods, barrier methods, intrauterine devices, and sterilization. The goal of contraception is to enable individuals to make informed choices about if and when to have children, thereby promoting reproductive autonomy and family planning.
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5 Key excerpts on "Contraception"
eBook - PDF- Dianne Hales(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
Contraception, also referred to as birth control or family plan- ning, includes methods that prevent ovulation or implantation, or to block the sperm from reaching the egg. Some forms of Contraception are tempo- rary; others permanently alter one’s fertility. 3 Contraception has an enormous impact on women’s lives. According to the World Health Organization, 87 million women experience an unintended pregnancy every year. Many, particu- larly in low-income developing countries, face the risks of lower educational and job opportunities, disability, disease, and even death. 4 The use of modern methods of Contraception—condoms, intrauterine devices, oral and injectable contracep- tives, implants, and sterilization—could prevent as many as four in five unwanted pregnancies every year. However, despite the advances that have been made, the rate of unintended pregnancies remains high, and many myths and mispercep- tions about Contraception persist. 5 Some couples, for instance, use withdrawal, or coitus interruptus (removal of the penis from the vagina before ejaculation), to prevent preg- nancy, even though this is not a reliable form of birth control. About half the men who have tried coitus interruptus find it unsatisfactory, either because they cannot anticipate when they’re going to ejaculate or because they cannot with- draw quickly enough. Also, the Cowper’s glands, two pea-size structures located on each side of the urethra, often produce a fluid that appears as drops at the tip of the penis any time from arousal and erection to orgasm. This fluid can contain active sperm and, in infected men, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Good decisions about birth control are based on sound information. Consult a physician or family-planning counselor if you have questions or want to know how certain methods might affect medical conditions such as high blood pres- sure or diabetes.
eBook - PDF- Albert Ellis, Albert Abarbanel, Albert Ellis, Albert Abarbanel(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Butterworth-Heinemann(Publisher)
Contraception Definition C ONTRACEPTION includes all methods that permit intercourse between fertile partners without producing impregnation. It is a temporary measure permitting the planning of pregnancy or—to use Margaret Sanger's ex-pression—birth control. The definition does not include abstinence or abortion. Sterilization and castration, generally irreversible proce-dures, also fall into a different category. The main criteria for a contraceptive are ef-fectiveness, acceptability, and harmlessness. Effectiveness To obtain a true statistical picture of contra-ceptive effectiveness, it is not enough merely to compare the number of accidental pregnancies in a group of couples who use contraceptives with the number of pregnancies in a group of nonusers of the same size. We base our evalua-tion of various contraceptive methods upon the length of time during which groups of couples were exposed to pregnancy, deducting weeks or months of nonexposure due to separation, ill-ness, or pregnancy. Then the number of acci-dental pregnancies is prorated to 100 years of exposure. It is established that couples using no contraceptives at all have a pregnancy rate of 60 to 100 per 100 exposure years. If users of a contraceptive, for instance, the diaphragm-jelly method, show a pregnancy rate of 10 per 100 years of exposure, and if the rate for nonusers within the same population group is 100, we assume that 90 out of 100 pregnancies were pre-vented, and that the preventive method—in our example the diaphragm-jelly method—has an effectiveness of 90 per cent. Using this formula, devised by Pearl, we are able to compare the effectiveness of the most commonly used methods. ( See Tietze's table at the end of this article. ) In the past, a distinction was made between patient-failure and method-failure; today we consider every unplanned pregnancy a failure in couples using Contraception.
eBook - PDFEvaluating Women′s Health Messages
A Resource Book
- Roxanne Louiselle Parrott, Celeste Michelle Condit, Roxanne L. Parrott, Celeste M. Condit(Authors)
- 1996(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications, Inc(Publisher)
The purpose of this chapter is to explore recently published academic literature (medical and social scientific) on Contraception. We begin by briefly identifying and explaining the types of Contraception available in three categories: barrier methods, oral con-traception, and recent contraceptive technologies. Although this discussion of types of Contraception is quite simple, it is important, because it provides the essential frame-work for identifying three primary concerns in women's reproductive health care. We discuss these concerns at length and examine how current research and contraceptive methods address these issues. Finally, we briefly look at sociocultural and psychologi-cal factors that influence contraceptive choices. Types of Contraception BARRIER METHODS Barrier contraceptives are the oldest type of fertility control measure and play an important role in our discussion of primary concerns in women's health care. The types of barrier contraceptives include: mechanical (condoms, cervical caps, diaphragms, and intrauterine devices), chemical (spermicides in the form of suppositories, foams, creams or jellies, and films), or a combination, such as the contraceptive sponge. Mechanical barriers have a higher degree of disease and fertility control when used with sper-micides. Douching is also a form of barrier contraceptive, although associated with increased risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and with low efficacy for fertility control. 3 Barrier contraceptives have broad histories. Sheaths for the penis and occlusion of the cervix can be documented in preliterate cultures. 4 An early version of what we know as the cervical cap was invented in the 19th century; the diaphragm followed shortly thereafter. Obviously, recent advances in substance and design of barrier methods have resulted in higher efficacy and fewer health complications.
No longer available |Learn more- (Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Library Press(Publisher)
________________________ WORLD TECHNOLOGIES ________________________ Chapter- 9 Birth Control A family planning centre in Malaysia ________________________ WORLD TECHNOLOGIES ________________________ Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods use to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include Contraception (the prevention of fertilization), contragestion (preventing the implantation of the blastocyst) and abortion (the removal or expulsion of a fetus or embryo from the uterus). The techniques and methods frequently overlap and many birth control techniques and methods are not strictly contraceptive as fertilization or conception may occure. Contraception include barrier methods, such as condoms or diaphragm, hormonal Contraception, also known as oral Contraception, and injectable contraceptives. Contragestives, also known as post-coital birth control, include intrauterine devices and what is known as the morning after pill. Etymology and movement The phrase birth control entered the English language in 1914 and was popularised by Margaret Sanger and Otto Bobsein Margaret Sanger was mainly active in the United States, but had gained an international reputation by the 1930s. The birth control campaigner Marie Stopes, who had opened Britain’s first birth control clinic in 1921 and made Contraception acceptable in Britain during the 1920 by framing it in scientific terms, also gained an international reputation. Stops was particularly influential in helping emerging birth control movements in a number of British colonies. And the villain still pursues her. Satirical Victorian era postcard Birth control was advanced as alternative to the then fashionable terms family limitation and voluntary motherhood. Family limitation referred to deliberate attempts by couples to end childbearing after the desired number of children had been born.
eBook - PDF- Mark M. Jones(Author)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
Induced abortion should never be considered a form of con-traception. Chapter Summary 335 Choosing a Contraceptive The ultimate contraceptive would be one that: (1) could be used by either sex, (2) is free, (3) never fails, (4) does not interfere with sexual activities, (5) does not require conscientious adherence to the method, and (6) has no adverse side effects. As we have seen, no such contraceptive exists at the present time, each measure having its unique portrait of advantages and disadvantages. When a person chooses to use a certain contraceptive, he or she must consider failure rate and possible adverse side effects. When a measure interferes with comfortable sexual activity, the problem often can be overcome by caring communication between sexual partners. Al-though finances may interfere with the use of certain measures, the po-tential financial costs of a pregnancy are even more burdensome. Finally, a couple must realize that adherence to conscientious use of the method they choose is important if avoidance of pregnancy is a primary concern. Chapter Summary Contraceptive measures either prevent fertilization or disrupt embryo transport or implantation. These measures are used to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The combination pill is the most popular reversible con-traceptive measure in the United States. This pill contains a synthetic estrogen and progestogen, and it inhibits ovulation, sperm transport, and implantation. It has a very low failure rate (0.7-3.0/100 WY). Minor side effects of this pill are common, but the only proven serious side effect relates to a higher incidence of cardiovascular system disease and deaths in pill users, especially those who smoke or are over 35 years of age. There is some evidence that long-term pill use could increase the risk of cervical and breast cancer, but more studies are needed to confirm this.
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