COMM 481 - 6 - Birth Control

Birth Control comes in many shapes and sizes. Do you know what the world has to offer? There are a range of products that go up or down in the level of effectiveness. Lets start with the least effective and work up. The percentages represent the chance of pregnancy for each method.) Spermicide, 28%, is a gel that can be inserted in the vagina or on the penis to kill sperm reducing the chances of sperm to reach an egg. Fertility awareness, at 24 %, is a method where you abstain or use condoms on the days when a person is most fertile. The sponge or withdrawal method, 22-24%, the former is a small sponge soaked in spermicide inserted in the vagina to block sperm from entering the vagina and the latter is a method where a man would withdraw from the vagina before ejaculating. Next, there is the female condom, 21%, and the male condom, 18%, both are barriers inserted either on the penis or in the vagina in order to block sperm from entering the vagina. Then there is the diaphragm, 12%, which is inserted in the vagina to block sperm. 

The following are the most effective forms of contraception. The patch, pill and ring, all 9%, are very common methods. The patch goes on a woman's body and over time releases hormones in to the body to prevent eggs from releasing. The pill is a daily hormonal medication that releases hormones over time and it works just like the patch. The ring works the same as the patch and pill but is slightly different. The ring is a flexible plastic that a woman will insert up and around her uterus once every 4 weeks. At 6%, is injectable medication that releases a large dose of hormones into the body and needs to be repeated every 3 months.

The following methods each have under a 1% failure rate. The implant is a small unit placed in the arm by an OB/GYN that releases hormones over a period of 3 years. The intrauterine device or IUD is a flexible T shaped device inserted in the uterus by a OB/GYN. It works by blocking sperm from reaching released eggs and releasing hormones over a period of 5 years up to 10. Other methods include male and female sterilization, which are surgical procedures where a doctor will disconnect the reproductive organ from producing either eggs or sperm.

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