| Brief Guide to Chemical Contraception |
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Having a child can be the most wonderful experience of someone’s life. Although unplanned pregnancies can be a welcome surprise, it is generally better to plan your family and have your children at the best time for you.
Fortunately, nowadays there is a variety of contraceptive methods available – all of which have pros and cons. Whatever form of contraception you choose, it is essential to follow the advice on how to use it so that it is fully effective. Some forms of contraception require that you have regular medical check-ups. Generally speaking, contraceptive advice and treatment is available for free and the service is confidential. If you do not want to visit your GP or the practice does not provide contraceptive services, then there are a number of clinics you can go to instead. Visit the family planning association at www.fpa.org.uk for more information. | ||||||||||||
| Contraceptive pills | ||||||||||||
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There are several types of contraceptive pill, but all of them work by mimicking the hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) that women produce naturally during the course of the menstrual cycle. Some of the pills have oestrogen and progestogen (a synthetic form of progesterone) and others are progestogen-only pills.
The oestrogen and progestogen or combined pills work mainly be stopping egg release (ovulation) from the ovaries each month. The combined pill also thickens the cervical mucus at the entrance to the womb so that it is harder for sperm to swim through, the lining of the womb (uterus) is also thinner; reducing the possibility that a fertilized egg can sink in and implant. The progestogen-only pill, acts in a broadly similar way on the mucus and womb lining but usually does not prevent egg release. There is an assortment of types of combined pill and it may be that you will need to try more than one before finding the one that is most suitable for you. Some release a similar amount of hormone/s everyday, while others vary in their content, so it is particularly important to take them in the right sequence. You should seek advice on which pill you might take. Below is a table of advantages and disadvantages of contraceptive pills as a method of contraception:
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| Hormonal injections, implants and patches | ||||||||||||
If you do not want to take a pill or find it hard to remember to do so each day, there are alternative forms of hormonal contraceptive. These can take the form of injections, implants (where a small, flexible hormone releasing rod is placed under the skin) and patches (similar to the nicotine patches, but these release hormones rather than nicotine). All of them work in similar ways to the combined pill, by preventing ovulation and by altering the lining of the uterus or the thickness of the cervical mucus in order to prevent pregnancy.
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