During a recent visit to my office by a young woman who told me she was sexually active, I asked her whether she was using any form of birth control. She replied in the negative. Was she trying to get pregnant, I asked? Her answer was that she was not. She hoped that she would not become pregnant. I was confused by her answer. Could I be blamed for being confused at hearing two widely divergent answers? It did not make any sense to me that she was having sex without any form of birth control and not planning on getting pregnant. She was hoping that she would not get pregnant. For those of you out there who are hoping not to become pregnant, remember that fifty percent of pregnancies are unintended. There is no birth control that I am aware of that is called ‘Hope’. Contraception or birth control is used so that you do not become pregnant. The best birth control for you is the one that you will use regularly so that it would be effective. There are some that will require daily participation from you and there are others that will not require much effort. Birth control can be divided into two categories – those with hormones and those without. Those with hormones contain estrogen and progesterone or just progesterone. They can enter your body through various ways-by mouth, through the skin or through the vagina. These include birth control pills, the patch (OrthoEvra), the single rod implanted under the skin (Implanon), Nuvaring (inserted into the vagina), intrauterine device (Mirena) and the shot. There are several advantages to being on contraceptives that have hormones other than preventing pregnancy. They can help decrease menstrual flow, menstrual cramps and reduce the chance of endometrial and ovarian cancers. The major downside is that they do not protect against sexually transmitted infections. The non-hormonal methods include condoms (male and female), intrauterine device (Paraguard), sponge, diaphragm, withdrawal method and periodic abstinence (rhythm method). Condoms and the diaphragm may help decrease the risk of sexually transmitted infections. Another option not often discussed that is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy is abstinence. Yes, this is an option. There are other ways to be intimate other than intercourse. Since none of the methods discussed other than abstinence are 100 % effective, all women of reproductive age (women capable of becoming pregnant) should take a multivitamin specific to women. This is because they have the recommended amount of folic acid. Taking the multivitamins with folic acid will help decrease the risk of neural tube defect (problems with the spine of the baby) in the unborn child, if you become pregnant. Let us all make babies when we are prepared to have them. The only hope I have is that you schedule an appointment to talk with your physician to discuss the options that are available.
Tags: Contraceptives, Dr. Osuagwu. Birth Control, Women's Health
