Different contraceptive methods

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Contraception means prevention and can both be preventing pregnancy and infections with sexually transmitted diseases. The only kindss of contraception that protect both against unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are condoms and femidoms. If you want to know more about prevention of infection with sexually transmitted diseases, read here.

To prevent pregnancy

To prevent a pregnancy, you must prohibit a mature egg and a sperm cell from meeting in a woman's abdomen. Some trans men can also become pregnant if they still have ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus.

Pregnancy can be prevented by creating a physical barrier between egg and sperm, by interfering with the maturation of an egg or by making the conditions in the abdomen unsuitable for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus. Most methods are designed for women to use, but research is also being done into new methods that can be used by men.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all contraceptive methods. Most are very safe, but only if used correctly and every time. On this page, you can find out about the different forms of contraception. You can read about their advantages and disadvantages and about how to use them. Ask your doctor if you have any doubts.

Less secure methods

There are also a number of contraceptive methods that are less effective in protecting against pregnancy. The methods are based on avoiding intercourse at certain times in the woman's cycle and on the man pulling out before his ejaculation. These are often called safe periods, rhythm method or calendar method and interrupted intercourse.

Some women and couples may prefer these methods because they feel more natural or because they want to avoid using hormones or making interventions in the body.

When using these methods to avoid pregnancy, one has to accept a lower effectiveness and prepare for the possibility of pregnancy. The majority of contraceptive users may find it difficult to live with that.

Using ovulation tests, cycle apps or cycle computers can help make these contraceptive methods safer, but the individual woman or couple cannot expect the protection to be as effective as most would like,  namely, as close to 100% as possible.

Since the starting point of our website is to provide information on how to most effectively prevent unplanned pregnancy, these methods are not described.

What should you choose?

Which form of contraception you should choose depends on several factors. Here are some areas you may need to think about when choosing birth control:

• How often do you need contraception?
• How much do you want to avoid pregnancy?
• Do you have health conditions that exclude some forms of contraception?
• Should contraception protect against both pregnancy and infection with sexually transmitted diseases?
• How active do you want to be; can you e.g. remember to take a pill every day?
• If you want to be pregnant, how soon should the contraceptive stop working?
• Can you live with any side effects?

Forms of contraception which you have to make an effort to use daily or every time you have intercourse are often less effective than long-term forms of contraception.

Simply because it can be difficult to remember a daily pill or to know when intercourse might take place or to ask a partner to use a condom.