Family Planning Methods
Family planning methods or contraceptives prevent pregnancy and control fertility. They prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation, inhibiting men’s sperms from reaching the ova, and averting implantation of fertilized eggs in the uterus (WHO). Some contraceptives, especially barrier methods, begin working with the first use while others, primarily hormonal methods, may take some time. Their effectiveness also depends on one’s monthly cycle, and none is 100% effective. The different categories of family planning methods include long-acting reversible contraception, hormonal contraception, barrier methods, emergency contraception, fertility awareness, and permanent contraception. Some are reversible, while others are permanent.
Hormonal contraceptives, such as contraceptive pills and injectables, prevent pregnancy by stopping ovaries from discharging eggs (USAID 57). Emergency contraceptives, such as emergency contraceptive pills, inhibit pregnancy within five days after having unprotected sex. Their effectiveness depends on the time taken and one’s weight. They are 98% effective when used by individuals with average weight and are less effective when used as a regular family planning method. Long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants, last for a significant period, between three and ten years. They are almost 99% effective. Barrier methods, such as male and female condoms and vaginal sponge, seek to stop sperms from entering the vagina (Cleland, Foster and Holley). They block sperms from meeting with the eggs or kill the sperms, and their effectiveness depends on one’s usage after having sex.
Fertility awareness methods involve learning one’s fertility signs and utilizing them to avoid pregnancy. Their effectiveness depends on a couple’s ability to avoid sex during a woman’s fertile days. Permanent contraceptives methods, such as vasectomy and tubal ligation, prevent all imminent pregnancies. Unlike other contraceptives, they are irreversible or difficult to reverse and appropriate for individuals with no interest in having additional children. Other methods include breastfeeding that prevents conception six months after delivery and withdrawal that involves ejaculating outside a woman’s vagina.