Menstuff® has compiled information on the issue of Contraction.
Your Contraceptive Choices
A Couple’s Guide to
What’s New In Birth Control
What's New in Birth
Control: Here is an Easy-to-Follow Guide About New
Choices
Continuous Abstinence
Outercourse
Sterilization
Norplant
Depo-Provera
The IUD (Intrauterine
Device)
The Pill
The Condom
Nuva Ring
Filshie clip
Saran Wrap -
A Warning
Withdrawal
The Diaphragm or Cervical
Cap
Single-size diaphragm expands women's
protection options
The Female Condom or
Spermicide
Periodic Abstinence or FAMs (Fertility
Awareness Methods)
Contraceptive
Effectiveness
You May Want Emergency
Contraception
Ideal Success Rates of
Various Forms of Birth Control
Newsbytes
Related issues: Talking With
Kids About Tough Issues, Abortion,
AIDS, Bacterial
Vaginosis, Blue Balls, Celibacy,
Chancroid, Chlamydia,
Condoms, Contraception,
Contraception
Effectiveness, Crabs, Genital
Herpes, Genital Warts, Gonorrhea,
Hepatitis A,
B, C,
D, E,
Impotency, Men
& Abortion, Nongonococcal
Urethritis, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease,
Reproduction, Safer
Sex, STDS, Syphilis,
Trichomoniasis, Yeast
Infection
Books: Communications,
Conflict
Resolution, Impotency,
Intimacy, Relationships,
Sexuality
Slide Guide: Guide
to STDs
Resources
Here is some information to help you decide...
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Cost
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Cost
None
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Tubal sterilization:
Vasectomy:
Cost
Removal can be done at any time but must be done by a clinician.
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Cost
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Cost
Effectiveness
Advantages
Cost
$150-$300 for exam, insertion, and follow-up visit. Some family
planning clinics charge according to income.
Effectiveness
Advantages
Cost
The Condom
Effectiveness
Increase your protection:
Advantages
Possible Problems
Cost
The only thing that the NuvaRing has in common with the diaphragm is that it sits in the vagina. They are not remotely similar forms of birth control.
Here is a site regarding the disaphragm: www.fwhc.org/birth-control/diaphram.htm
This page describes how the NuvaRing works: www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/whatIsNuvaRing/index_flash.asp
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Cost
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Diaphragm:
Cervical Cap:
Cost
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Cost
Periodic Abstinence or Fertility Awareness
Methods (FAMs)
Includes:
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Cost
Effectiveness
Advantages
Possible Problems
Cost
You May Want Emergency Contraception
Emergency Contraception
...is designed to prevent pregnancy after unprotected vaginal
intercourse.
...is provided in two ways:
Don't use emergency hormonal contraception if you:
Consult your clinician about taking emergency hormonal contraception if you are:
Source: www.plannedparenthood.org/bc/CONTRACHOICES.HTM
© Planned Parenthood® Federation of America, Inc.
Sarah Wrap -
A Warning
Saran Wrap has often been recommended versus a dental dam for use in
cunnilingus for its flexibility. However, it is recommended never to
use Saran Classic or any other similar product which is designed for
microwave use. It is said to be porous for possible transference of
an STD.
Oral Contraceptive Increases HIV Risk
The Pill and other hormonal methods of contraception are associated with an increased risk of HIV for both men and women, researchers are reporting.
An observational analysis — from a randomized trial of couples in which one partner had HIV and the other did not — found that HIV-negative women using hormonal contraception had nearly twice the risk of catching HIV as those using other methods or none, according to Jared Baeten, MD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues.
But the study also found — for the first time — that HIV-negative male partners of women with the virus also face an increased risk if the women use hormonal methods of contraception, mainly injections of long-acting depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), like Depo-Provera, Baeten and colleagues reported online in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The study raises important public health questions and needs a randomized trial to confirm or refute the findings, the researchers concluded.
One possible implication of the findings is that promotion of DMPA contraception in Africa has inadvertently fueled the HIV/AIDS pandemic — a "tragic" situation, if true, according to Charles Morrison, PhD, and Kavita Nanda, MD, both of Family Health International in Durham, N.C.
But curtailing the use of a very effective method of contraception could have equally tragic results, they argued in an accompanying comment article — "increased maternal mortality and morbidity and more low-birth-weight babies and orphans."
They also called for a randomized trial to settle what they called a "crucial public health question."
The data come from the "Partners in Prevention" study, which aimed to see if treating herpes simplex II — a common infection in sub-Saharan Africa — might reduce the risk of acquiring HIV in couples where one partner is HIV positive and one is HIV negative.
The treatment had no benefit, but Baeten and colleagues decided to examine data from the 3,790-couple trial to see if they could add anything to the debate over hormonal contraception.
They found:
The researchers noted that the analysis is based on observation and may have been influenced by unmeasured confounding factors. As well, they cautioned, data on contraceptive use was based on self-report and did not include information on adherence or brand.
They also cautioned that the study was not designed to examine the
contraception issue, so that only a relatively small proportion of
women used hormonal contraception and few infections occurred among
them or their partners.
Source: www.everydayhealth.com/sexual-health/1004/oral-contraceptive-increases-hiv-risk.aspx?xid=aol_eh-news_7_200111003&aolcat=HLT&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl5%7Csec3_lnk1%7C101321
California Supreme Court Rules on
Contraceptive Coverage
Of the 20 states that mandate comprehensive coverage of
contraceptives by all health insurers that cover prescription drugs,
12 have incorporated some form of religious exemption. Most allow
"religious employers," variously defined, to opt out where the
coverage would conflict with the employer's bona fide religious
tenets.
Male Hormonal Contraceptive For U.S.
Market
Planned Parenthood Counseling Patients
About Voluntary Recall of the Once-a-Month Injectable Hormonal
Contraceptive Lunelle
Morning After Pills Covered In California
Several studies show that the ingredient nonoxynol-9 -- when used frequently in anal sex -- apparently can cause lesions that increase the body's exposure to HIV.
It's an issue that more than 85 health organizations and public health researchers have collectively become concerned about, says Lori Heise, director of the Global Campaign for Microbicides, the group spearheading the "Call to Discontinue N-9 for Rectal Use."
Forty-two percent of all condoms sold commercially in the U.S. are lubricated with N-9. In fact, N-9 has been used as a contraceptive for over 50 years, and manufacturers began adding it to condoms and lubricants in the mid-1980s when early research suggested it might offer some protection against HIV.
New research has proved that to be false.
"Too many consumers still have the belief that condoms with N-9 are actually offering them protection against STDs and HIV, when it may be increasing their risk when they use the condoms rectally," Heise said in a press teleconference.
The problem: Even the very small amounts of N-9 on condoms "has been shown to cause sloughing of the cell lining of the rectum, which creates portals of entry for the virus, increasing risk of STD and HIV infection for people who practice rectal sex," said Heise.
In fact, last fall the World Health Organization issued a strong cautionary statement against using N-9 products rectally. "They provided a clear, definitive statement that N-9 does not protect against STD and HIV transmission and should not be used for that," she added. "We're specifically asking manufacturers of sexual lubricants and contraceptives to discontinue adding N-9 to products. We're also asking retail outlets to discontinue stocking N-9 products."
For every product that contains N-9, manufacturers also provide another version of that brand with lubrication that doesn't contain N-9, she pointed out.
"This is extremely important for public health," said Heise.
Since last June, a number of companies have agreed to take N-9 out of products, including Mayer Laboratories. Johnson & Johnson does not produce condoms in the U.S., but the company's facility in Brazil has agreed to discontinue production of N-9 condoms, says Heise. Also, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary makes a very popular line of KY lubricants -- KY-Plus -- that contain N-9. In July, Johnson & Johnson took action to stop production.
However, three of the largest condom manufacturers -- including the maker of Trojan brand condoms --have no plans to remove N-9 from their products, she added.
"Condoms are still the best way that sexually active individuals can prevent disease and pregnancy," says Vanessa Cullins, medical director of Planned Parenthood. "It's so important that the public understands that condoms are still the best protection against pregnancy and STDs. The issue is not condoms, it's N-9."
Should people throw out those at home -- or still use them -- if they do not practice anal intercourse? "People do not need to throw away their N-9 condoms as long as they are low-risk and as long as they are utilizing those condoms for pregnancy prevention," says Cullins.
"However, if that person is using them during anal intercourse -- or has sex multiple times during the day, or bought them to prevent STDs -- they should not use the N-9 condoms they have stored," Cullins adds. "That specific individual is at risk of increased transmission of disease."
In fact, the small amount of N-9 on a condom is insufficient as a contraceptive, says Heise. "It gets rubbed off as the condom enters the woman. There's a higher dosage in the type used with diaphragms, and you're putting it right against the cervix."
The FDA regulates both condoms and lubricants, and it is in FDA jurisdiction to remove the products from the market if necessary. "But as we know, the FDA doesn't often move quickly," said Heise. "Lubricants have been loosely regulated anyway, because they're viewed as cosmetic products."
"Because we saw the urgency, we wanted to work collaboratively
with manufacturers, and not necessarily have to get the government
regulators involved," she added. "If we're not able to achieve goals
through voluntary action, we'll look at other schemes."
Source: By Jeanie Davis my.webmd.com/content/article/1689.53865
Single-size
diaphragm expands women's protection options
Jill Schwartz, MD, CONRAD's medical director and study principal investigator said, "Women and societies worldwide suffer from the consequences of unintended pregnancies. By expanding their contraceptive options with easy-to-use methods that have minimal side effects, we're also expanding the potential for women's overall health, not to mention, their families welfare." She added, "Study participants reported high marks for ease of use and comfort for both women and their partners, which is so important-the only methods that work are the kind that women will actually use."
The SILCS Diaphragm was developed at PATH, an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health of people around the world and validated in collaboration with researchers at CONRAD. Development of the SILCS Diaphragm involved a user-centered design process incorporating input from women, their partners, and providers. This feedback led to an innovative design that is comfortable and easy to use-even for women with no previous diaphragm experience. The SILCS device was developed to improve reproductive health in low-resource settings, where women have a limited range of contraceptive methods and where diaphragms are not currently available. This new diaphragm may also be important for women in developed countries, particularly for women who cannot or do not want to use hormonal methods or an IUD.
PATH's Vice President and Senior Advisor for Technologies, Dr. Michael Free said, "High rates of unintended pregnancy and discontinuation of current contraceptive methods suggest that existing contraceptive methods do not adequately meet the reproductive health needs of all women. This newly designed, discreet, and reusable cervical barrier could expand women's options for nonhormonal protection, thereby improving women's reproductive health especially in low-resource settings."
Michael Thomas, MD, ARHP Board Chair added, "The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) is honored that CONRAD and PATH have decided to release this pivotal new data at our Reproductive Health 2011 conference. ARHP is committed to advancing multipurpose prevention technologies and is very excited by the promising developments coming out of the SILCS study."
Funding support was provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Kessel Marketing & Vertriebs GmbH of Frankfurt, Germany, will be manufacturing the SILCS Diaphragm under license from PATH. Kessel and CONRAD are preparing regulatory applications for Europe and the United States. Regulatory approval as a nonprescription device will be determined on a country-by-country basis according to the local norms and guidelines. Through a phased approach, the product will be introduced at an affordable price in both developed and developing countries.
The development of the new device was a response to women calling for a broader choice of contraceptive methods that are under their control, can be easily stopped and started, and nonhormonal, thus eliminating side effects. The diaphragm is also more discreet than a male or female condom and less disruptive of spontaneity. Studies will continue to research its potential as a dual protection method by serving as a delivery device for a microbicide gel that can prevent HIV infection.
CONRAD has been developing new methods of contraception for men and women for 25 years. This includes both hormonal methods as well as barrier devices such as the female condom and cervical caps. CONRAD is spearheading regulatory work toward registration of tenofovir gel, the first vaginal microbicide proven to reduce HIV and herpes infection.
Reproductive Health is the premier conference in reproductive and
sexual health sponsored annually by the Association of Reproductive
Health Professionals.
Source: eMail from ahorn@arhp.org
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General Methods |
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Abstinence ** |
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Chastity belt |
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No Protection |
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Medical Methods |
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The Pill (female) **** |
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Emergency Contraception (female) |
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Gels and Foams |
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Genital Devices |
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Cervical Caps and Diaphragms (female) |
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IUD - Mirena |
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IUD - Paragard |
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Shot - Depo Provera |
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Patch - Ortho Evra |
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Ring - Nuva |
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The Sponge (female) |
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Surgery-Sterilization |
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Vasectomy (male) *** |
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Tubal Litigation (female) |
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Filshie Clip (female) |
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* Recognizes that 100% proper application
and use is not always attained. In order to achieve the
Ideal Success Rate, the method must be used on 100% of all
occasions. The belt only requires a good locksmith. |
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Condoms are easier to change than diapers and fail less often that abstinence.
Contraceptives should be used on every conceivable occasion. - Spike Milligan
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