- Contraception
Birth Control Patch
Method: The patch is a thin, beige, plastic patch that sticks to the skin. A new patch is placed on the skin of the buttocks, stomach, upper outer arm, or upper torso once a week for three weeks in a row. No patch is used in the fourth week. The patch releases synthetic estrogen and progestin to protect against pregnancy for one month. It works by preventing ovulation, increasing cervical mucus to block sperm, and creating a thin uterine environment.
Success Rate: No studies have yet been published, but it is assumed that with typical use, the patch would be more effective than a birth control pill; typical use of the pill results in eight out of 100 women becoming pregnant in one year. With perfect use of the patch, less than one woman in 100 will become pregnant.
Benefits: Weekly dosing and the ability to visually verify the patch is in place make it more likely to be used successfully. Many women who use the patch have more regular, lighter, and shorter periods. And a woman’s ability to become pregnant returns quickly when use of the patch is stopped. The patch does not interfere with having sex, and may improve a woman’s sex life. Some women say they feel free to be more spontaneous because they do not have to worry about becoming pregnant.
Drawbacks: Provides no protection against STDs, including HIV. Requires a back-up method for the first seven days unless started on the first day of menstruation. May cause local skin irritation or rash, vaginal spotting, nausea, headaches, or moodiness. When worn, the patch may be difficult to hide. Smokers should not use the patch.
back to top^Birth Control Pill
Method: There are two basic types of pills: combination pills and progestin-only pills. Combination pills contain estrogen and progestin. Combination pills work by preventing a woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs. They also thicken the cervical mucus, which keeps sperm from joining with an egg. Progestin-only pills usually work by thickening the cervical mucus. Less often, they prevent ovulation.
Success Rate: With typical use, eight women in 100 become pregnant in one year. With perfect use, less than one woman in 100 will become pregnant in one year.
Benefits: If taken correctly, the pill provides non-stop protection from pregnancy. It can also make a woman’s periods more regular, reduce cramps, and shorten or lighten a woman’s period. The combination pill can offer some protection against acne, ovarian cancer, ectopic pregnancy, osteoporosis, etc. There are many options for the pill. Make sure to talk openly with your health care provider to decide which pill is right for you.
Drawbacks: Offers no protection against STIs, including HIV. Side effects: nausea, headaches and moodiness. If you miss 2 or more daily pills during a cycle, or you are late starting a new cycle of pills, you should use a back-up method of birth control until you have taken seven consecutive pills.
back to top^Birth Control Ring (Nuva)
Method: A flexible, soft ring that releases synthetic estrogen and progestin to prevent pregnancy. The combination of hormones works in two ways. Usually, it keeps the ovaries from releasing an egg (ovulation). Less often it thickens the cervical mucus, which prevents sperm from joining with an egg. The hormones also thin the lining of the uterus. The ring is inserted in the vagina, where it remains for 21 days. It is then removed and kept out for seven days.
Success Rate: No studies have yet been published, but it is assumed that with typical use, the ring would be more effective than a birth control pill; typical use of the pill results in eight out of 100 women becoming pregnant in one year. With perfect use of the ring, less than one woman in 100 will become pregnant.
Benefits: It does not involve taking a daily pill, require the use of spermicide, or require a "fitting" by a clinician. It is effective immediately and easy to know it is in place. Many women who use the ring have more regular, lighter, and shorter periods. And a woman’s ability to become pregnant returns quickly when use of the ring is stopped.
Drawbacks: Does not protect against STIs, including HIV. The ring should be kept refrigerated to prolong its life. Side effects may include nausea, headaches and vaginal discomfort. Smokers should not use the ring.
back to top^Birth Control Shot (Depo-Provera)
Method: A woman gets an intramuscular hormone shot every three months (12 weeks), which keeps her from getting pregnant. It contains a hormone that is similar to the progesterone made by a woman’s ovaries to regulate the menstrual cycle.
Success Rate: With typical use, three women out of 100 will get pregnant in one year. With perfect use, less than one woman in 100 will become pregnant in a year using this method. Protection is immediate if you take the shot during the first seven days of your period. Otherwise, use a backup method of contraception for the first week.
Benefits: Once you get the shot, you don’t have to think about birth control for three months. Protection lasts for 12 weeks. It can be udes by women who cannot take estrogen.
Drawbacks: You have to receive a shot every three months. Offers no protection against STIs, including HIV, and can cause weight gain, irregular periods, and depression. It can take an average of nine to 10 months to get pregnant after getting the last shot.
back to top^Condom (female)
Method: A thin polyurethane sheath, shaped like a sock with flexible rings at each end. The ring at the closed end holds the pouch in place inside the vagina, while the ring at the open end remains outside the vagina. The female condom collects semen before, during, and after ejaculation and keeps sperm from entering the vagina.
Success Rate: With typical use, 21 out of 100 women will become pregnant in one year. With perfect use, five out of 100 women will become pregnant in one year.
Benefits: Protects against STIs, including HIV, and you can get it without a prescription. Also, you can insert it up to eight hours before having intercourse. If you (or your partner) are allergic to latex and want to use condoms, this is a good alternative. It can be used with oil and water-based lubricants.
Drawbacks: The outside ring can slide inside the vagina during intercourse; also, caution should be used to make sure that the man’s penis doesn’t slip around the side of the condom. Some people say that feeling is reduced. Others say that it is noisy. Can be awkward to use at first; must be removed right after intercourse, before you stand up, to prevent semen leakage. Do not use simultaneously with male condom.
Condom (male)
Method: A polyurethane or latex sheath (rubber) covers the penis and collects the semen, preventing sperm from entering a woman’s vagina. Sometimes they are called rubbers, safes, or jimmies.
Success Rate: With typical use, 15 women in 100 become pregnant in one year. With perfect use, two women in 100 will become pregnant in one year.
Benefits: Polyurethane (non-latex) or latex condoms (not animal skin) provide good protection against most STIs, including HIV. Plus, they are cheap and easy to find at any drugstore without a prescription. Many women and men say they have better sex when they use condoms. They are able to focus on their sexual pleasure without distractions about unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection. Some couples put the condom on as part of their foreplay. Many men stay hard longer when they use condoms.
Drawbacks: It can break (especially if it’s not put on correctly) and it can leak if not withdrawn carefully. Condoms must not be used with any oil-based lubricants like Vaseline or massage oil. Using a condom with the spermicide nonoxynol-9 many times a day, by people at risk for HIV, or for anal sex, may irritate tissue and increase the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
How to Get It: Condoms are free in the lobby of Health Services, from your RA, or at any Health Services events.
back to top^Diaphragms, Caps & Shields
Method: The diaphragm is a shallow, dome shaped cup with a flexible rim. It fits securely in the vagina to cover the cervix. The FemCap is a silicone cup shaped like a sailor’s hat. It fits securely in the vagina to cover the cervix. Lea’s Shield is a silicone cup with an air valve and a loop to aid in removal. It fits snugly over the cervix. Each method has to be used with spermicide cream or jelly.
Success Rate: Sixteen out of 100 women who use the diaphragm will become pregnant during the first year of typical use. Six will become pregnant with perfect use. Fourteen out of 100 women who have never been pregnant or given birth vaginally and use FemCap will become pregnant during the first year of typical use. Of 100 women who have given birth vaginally and use FemCap, 29 will become pregnant during the first year of typical use. Fifteen out of 100 women who use the shield will become pregnant during the first year of typical use. Effectiveness rates for perfect use are not available.
Benefits: All can be inserted before intercourse and worn for up to 24 (diaphragm) to 48 (FemCap & shield) hours. They are also reusable
Drawbacks: Do not protect against STIs, including HIV. You have to keep them in after intercourse for 6-8 hours. They have to be thouroughly washed after use.
back to top^Emergency Contraception/ Morning After Pill
Emergency contraception (EC) is a safe and effective means of preventing pregnancy after unprotected intercourse. EC, also known as emergency birth control, has been available for more than 30 years. It contains hormones found in birth control pills.
Method: EC works by inhibiting or delaying ovulation, preventing fertilization, or preventing implantation of a fertilized egg. Unlike medical abortion drugs, emergency contraception does not interrupt or terminate an established pregnancy; it prevents pregnancy from occurring. That means if you are already pregnant, EC won’t work.
Success Rate: Progestin-only EC reduces the risk of pregnancy by 89 percent if started within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. For example, eight out of 100 women will become pregnant after having unprotected sex once during the second or third week of their cycles. But only one woman out of 100 will become pregnant after taking progestin-only EC. Combination EC reduces the risk of pregnancy by 75 percent if started within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. Only two out of 100 will become pregnant after taking combination EC. Emergency contraception is meant as backup birth control only. EC is not as effective as the correct and consistent use of condoms, the shot, the pill, the patch, or the ring.
Benefits: EC was responsible for approximately 43 percent of the decrease in the number of abortions from 1994 to 2000. It is an important tool for women to prevent unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion.
Drawbacks: Emergency contraception offers no protection against STIs. You may want to consider testing for STIs if there is a possibility that unprotected sex put you at risk. It can cause nausea or vomiting for a day or so, but you can ask your provider to prescribe an anti-nausea medication.
Emergency contraception is for emergencies. In other words, it is not a reliable long-term birth control method and it does not protect against STIs - before or after its use. It also does not protect you during future acts of intercourse, so it is important that you use another form of birth control if you have sex again.
Where to get it: Emergency Contraception (EC) is available at Suffolk University Health Services. Studies show that EC is most effective when taken within 72 hours, however it can be effective up to 120 hours after unprotected sex.
Plan B is a type of EC. It is now available over the counter for women 18 and older in Massachusetts. Plan B and other forms of emergency contraception are also available by prescription for all women. Contact your healthcare provider or Planned Parenthood at 1-800-230-PLAN to get EC or to get a prescription for EC if you are younger than 18. You may also get EC at your local pharmacy if you are older than 18.
You may want to purchase EC or ask your clinician for a prescription for EC before you need it. This will allow you to use EC in emergency situations without having to wait to get an appointment.
back to top^
Intrauterine Device (IUD)
Method: A small device that contains copper or a synthetic progestin hormone that is inserted into a woman’s uterus. There are 2 types: copper and progestin. Both kinds of IUDs work by preventing sperm from joining with an egg by affecting the way they move.
Success Rate: Using a copper IUD, less than one woman in 100 will become pregnant in a year; using a progestin IUD, two women in 100 will become pregnant.
Benefits: It provides effective pregnancy protection and lasts a long time--a copper IUD can stay in place for up to ten years, and a progestin IUD lasts one year. IUDs may improve a woman’s sex life. There is nothing to put in place before intercourse to protect against pregnancy. Some women say they feel free to be more spontaneous because they do not have to worry about becoming pregnant.
Drawbacks: Doesn’t protect against STIs, including HIV. Some side effects include: spotting between periods, heavier periods, and increased cramping. Risk of spontaneous expulsion of the IUD; approximately 2% to 10% of users expel their IUD within the first year, in some cases without knowing.
Related Links
- Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts
- Emergency Contraception/ Morning After Pill
- Go Ask Alice! (Sexual Health)
- MTV’s It’s Your (sex) Life