Can Birth Control Stop Pregnancy

How Do Birth Control Pills Prevent Pregnancy

The birth control pill works by stopping sperm from joining with an egg. When sperm joins with an egg its called fertilization.

The hormones in the pill safelystop ovulation. No ovulation means theres no egg for sperm to fertilize, so pregnancy cant happen.

The pills hormones also thicken the mucus on the cervix. This thicker cervical mucus blocks sperm so it cant swim to an egg kind of like a sticky security guard.

If I Had My Tubes Tied Can I Still Get Pregnant If I Want To

Getting your tubes tied is designed to be permanent. If you want to try and get pregnant, it is possible to have the procedure reversed. In general, research suggests 31% to 90% of those who have the procedure reversed will be able to become pregnant and depending on how the tubes were tied in the first place, how long it has been since they were tied, and how damaged the tubes are . Another option for pregnancy after getting your tubes tied is in vitro fertilization .

Is It Safe To Use Birth Control While Breastfeeding

Yes. The good news is that all methods of birth control are safe to use while breastfeeding.

You may want to delay using a birth control pill, patch, or ring that contains estrogen for a few weeks because estrogen may decrease your milk supply.

If youve been breastfeeding for 4 to 6 weeks and your breast milk supply is well-established, then any birth control method is fine.

Exclusive breastfeeding can prevent your body from ovulating or releasing an egg. If you dont ovulate, you wont be able to get pregnant.

If done correctly, exclusive breastfeeding can be 98 percent effective for preventing pregnancy.

There are a few things to consider with this method:

• It works best if your baby is exclusively breastfeeding. If your baby is drinking some formula or youre pumping some milk, it wont be as reliable.
• To be most effective, your baby needs to be breastfeeding at least once every 4 hours during the day and at least every 6 hours overnight.

Typically, exclusive breastfeeding only works as a birth control method for the first 6 months of your babys life. If your period returns before 6 months have passed, this method of birth control will no longer be effective.

It also becomes less effective when your baby:

• starts sleeping longer overnight
• goes longer between day feedings
• starts eating solids

At that point, you may want to consider a birth control method that offers more protection.

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Birth Control Pill And Birth Defects

According to the Food and Drug Administration , there’s no evidence that taking combination birth control pills or progestin-only pills while pregnant will harm your baby in any way, either by increasing the risk of birth defects or causing pregnancy complications.

It’s important to note that there has not been a lot of research on this subject. This is not because of oversight or lack of interest. Medical ethics would not allow anyone to conduct research that may place a mother or her unborn baby in harm’s way.

Most of the data is derived from epidemiological research comparing mothers who have used birth control pills during early pregnancy with those who haven’t. In this regard, there has been little difference in the number of birth defects, miscarriages, or stillbirths between either group.

The CDC notes that progestins taken in early pregnancy slightly increase the risk of hypospadias in boys . However, the studies leading to this conclusion are older and were mostly of women taking progestins for infertility or to prevent pregnancy loss and not the low doses of progestins in birth control pills.

Does The Shot Protect Against Stds

No. The shot is really good at preventing pregnancy, but it wont protect you from sexually transmitted infections.

Luckily, using condoms every time you have sex really lowers the chance of getting or spreading STDs. The other great thing about condoms is that they also protect against pregnancy, which means that using condoms along with the shot gives you awesome pregnancy-preventing power!

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Male Birth Control Options And Methods

I will define here about the Male Control of birth options and methods.

So read carefully :-

Effective methods of birth control are sterilization through male sterilization and tubal ligation in women, intrauterine devices and implantable contraceptives.

It is adopted by multiple hormonal contraceptives, including oral pills, patches, vaginal rings, and injections.

Some other methods include obstruction such as condoms, diaphragms, and contraceptive sponges, and fertility awareness methods.

Although sterilization is highly effective, it is generally not reversible All other methods are reversible, they can be stopped quickly.

Emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy after a few days of unprotected sex.

Barrier Method of Control

As the title suggests, these create a barrier to maintain sperm from reaching an egg. You can get most of them at a pharmacy with no prescription.

Male condoms are dependable and low-cost. Latex condoms are a good selection.

Theyre sturdy and could also be simpler towards sexually transmitted ailments than natural or lambskin condoms.

With typical use, the male condom is about 80% efficient. If used completely each time, it prevents being pregnant 98% of the time.

Female condoms might also assist against STDs. fmale condoms are about 80% efficient.

How Hormonal Contraceptives Like The Pill Work

The hormones in contraceptives dont only prevent ovulation. Some also prevent fertilized eggs from implanting into the womb. Others cause the mucus in the cervix to become thick and sticky, making it harder for the sperm to move and reach the egg cell.

Hormonal contraceptives are only reliable if they are used properly. If, for instance, a woman forgets to take her pill one day, her ovaries may release an egg and she could become pregnant.

The effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives may be reduced by medication such as , blood-pressure-lowering or cholesterol-lowering drugs, antifungal drugs or herbal products like St. Johns wort. Also, if women who take the pill vomit or have diarrhea, the pill may no longer provide enough protection. So they have to use another form of contraception too for instance, a condom.

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You Can Also Track Your Fertility And Avoid Sex During Ovulation

You could also track your fertility and avoid sex while you are ovulating. There are apps, like Glow, that you can use to track your menstrual and ovulation cycle. But this method is only effective if you take your time and really get to know your body. Instead, consider it as a good complement to other birth control options.

How Are Birth Control Pills Packaged

You get a set of pills packaged in a thin case. Pill packs containing regular birth control pills have either 21 or 28 pills. Twenty-one-day pill packs contain 21 active pills. Twenty-eight-day pill packs contain 21 active pills and seven inactive pills. The pill packs are marked with the days of the week to remind you to take a pill every day. The seven inactive pills in the 28-day pill pack are added so youâre reminded to start a new pill pack after 28 days.

Some newer pills have only two inactive pills or even none. It’s important to always take all the pills to be sure youâre protected from getting pregnant.

A package of extended-cycle Seasonale contains 84 active pink tablets and seven inactive white pills. With Seasonique and LoSeasonique, the last seven pills contain estrogen only.

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How Soon Do Birth Control Pills Work

When taken as directed, birth control pills are usually effective the first month you begin taking them. To be safe, some doctors recommend the use of another form of birth control, such as condoms and foam, during the first month. After the first month, you can just rely on the pill for birth control.

What Is The Birth Control Pill

The birth control pill, also known as the Pill, is a medication taken to prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation through an introduction of estrogen and progesterone. Ovulation is the process by which an ovary releases an egg. In order to become pregnant, there must be an egg present for sperm to fertilize. If birth control is being taken as directed, pregnancy should not occur.

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What Are The Types Of Birth Control Pills

There are two different types of birth control pills. Both types contain hormones that prevent pregnancy.

• Combination pills contain estrogen and progestin.
• Progestin-only pills are also called the minipill. Theyre better for some women, such as those who are breastfeeding or have a history of blood clots and strokes and shouldnt take estrogen.

The pill comes in different dosing packets from 21-day pill packs to 90-day pill packs, to even 365 days of active pills. Traditionally, depending on the brand and dose, you take at least three weeks of active pills followed by two to seven days of hormone-free pills. This is called cyclical dosing. Most women have a menstrual period during the inactive pills. Some brands do not provide any inactive pills at all in the pack . With the 21-day packs a woman does not take any pills for a week. During this time, youll have your period, similar to what happens when taking the inactive, hormone-free pills.

Some formulations offer continuous dosing, which means you do not have any inactive pills, and a woman takes an active pill daily. Alternatively, extended cycle dosing is when inactive pills or breaks in the active pill regimen only occur three to four times per year. Skipping the inactive pills prevents menstruation. Your healthcare provider can discuss the best option for you.

Who Cannot Get It

Do not use the birth control shot if you have:

• Unexplained vaginal bleeding not discussed with a health care provider.
• A history of a stroke.
• Diabetes with complications.
• Lupus with antiphospholipid antibodies.

Tell your health care provider if you have any of these risk factors or conditions, or any other medical concerns.

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Perfect Use Vs Typical Use

Many contraceptive methods are affected by human error such as forgetting to take your pill. They may be very effective with perfect use but the effectiveness of certain methods as typically used is likely to be lower.

Perfect use of a contraceptive method is when it is used correctly all the time.

Typical use is what generally happens in real life. It takes into account human error.

As you can see below, for long acting reversible contraception the perfect use is the same as typical use. This is because you dont have to remember to take anything or get the condom on correctly. This is why more and more women are choosing LARCs.

Effectiveness of different contraception methodsContraception effectiveness is measured by how many women will get pregnant within a year of using that method.

For example, the effectiveness of male condoms with perfect use is 98%. This means out of 100 women using condoms correctly all the time, two will become pregnant within one year.

Sometimes the effectiveness is quoted for the first year of use when people are learning how to use a method correctly. These figures below quote the first year use.

Not Starting A New Pack Right Away

It is essential to start a new pack of pills the day after finishing the previous one. However, sometimes a person may not have their new package yet. Missing a few days between packs can make the pill less effective at preventing pregnancy.

According to the , anyone who misses two or more pills in a row should use a backup contraceptive method or avoid sexual intercourse until they have taken the birth control pill for 7 consecutive days.

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How Does Birth Control Work With Ivf

Birth control pills function by suppressing a womans hormones and preventing ovulation, thereby making pregnancy impossible or extremely unlikely.

Specifically, Dr. Doherty explained, birth control pills prevent the growth and development of a womans follicles and keep her endometrial lining thin.

Without the development of one primary or lead follicle, ovulation will not occur, and without an adequate uterine lining, the embryo will not successfully implant inside the womans endometrium.

This baseline state is optimal for the start of IVF fertility treatment, where the goal of IVF is to grow as many follicles as possible in one cycle. After stopping birth control pills, self-administered hormone injections are used to stimulate the growth of the ovarian follicles.

This coordinated growth allows us to maximize the number of mature fertilizable eggs at the time of egg retrieval, Dr. Doherty said. By preventing a front-runner or lead follicle from developing by using a birth control pill, the follicles that develop during ovarian stimulation tend to be more synchronized.

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Pregnancy While On Birth Control

Although abstinence is the only method of birth control that ensures 100% effectiveness for preventing pregnancy, perfect use of contraceptives is nearly 100% effective. Perfect use means that a contraceptive is used correctly every time, while typical use accounts for common human errors, such as forgetting to take a contraceptive pill on time.

With perfect use, the birth control pill is more than 99% successful. With typical use, the birth control pill is about 91% effective. Perfect use of condoms is about 98% effective, while typical use is around 82%.

Long-acting reversible contraceptives such as an intrauterine device and permanent contraception methods like tube litigation are more than 99% effective.

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Weighing The Pros And Cons

All forms of hormonal contraception are similarly effective at preventing pregnancy. A womans choice of contraception may depend on how well she tolerates the different kinds, and how she feels about the potential side effects. Another factor is what the contraceptive method involves: Does she mind swallowing a pill every day? Would wearing a patch on her body for several weeks bother her? Can she feel the vaginal ring inside her during sex? Women have to find out for themselves what is most important to them and which method they tolerate the best.

As well as hormonal contraceptives, there are also non-hormonal contraceptives. You can get more information about the different kinds of contraceptives from your doctor or womens health center.

Birth Control Shots That Prevent Pregnancy

Today, hormone injections are available that help prevent pregnancy. These are very effective as emergency contraception as well.

Depo Provera, the brand name for birth control shots, is also known as DMPA or Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate.

It is a hormone injection or shot that must be taken once every three months to prevent pregnancy effectively. The shot contains synthetic progesterone and no estrogen, and it is primarily meant to stop the ovary from releasing its eggs.

A high level of progesterone is injected into the womans body, usually through the arm, or the hip, and in some cases, directly into the abdomen.

Not only does the medication prevent the release of eggs from the ovary and changes the uterine lining, but it also serves to thicken the cervical mucus, thereby preventing the sperm from being able to enter and to survive in the womans uterus.

These are in essence the factors that help avoid fertilization to take place, thereby preventing an unwanted pregnancy.

Although it may be true that taking these birth control shots may be effective because they do not affect the womens body in any other visible manner, it may be inconvenient, because women has to go back to the clinic once every three months to take another shot.

These are some of the advantages of taking a birth control shot:

However, there are a few disadvantages as well:

Anyone can use birth control shots. However, if the woman is pregnant already, she must not use the shot.

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Short Acting Hormonal Methods

Prevent pregnancy by interfering with ovulation and possibly fertilization of the egg. If you want to get pregnant, you can stop using them at any time.

Combination Oral ContraceptivesThe Pill

• A pill that has two hormones to stop the ovaries from releasing eggs
• It also thickens the cervical mucus, which keeps sperm from getting to the egg.

How do I use it?

• You should swallow the pill at the same time every day, whether or not you have sex.
• If you miss one or more pills, or start a pill pack too late, you may need to use another method of birth control, like a condom and spermicide

How do I get it?

• You need a prescription from a healthcare provider.

Chance of getting pregnant with typical use

• Out of 100 women who use this method, about 9 may get pregnant.

Some Side Effects

Less Common Serious Side Effects

• It is not common, but some women who take the pill develop high blood pressure.
• It is rare, but some women will have blood clots, heart attacks, or strokes.

Does it protect me from sexually transmitted infections ? No.

• A pill that has only one hormone, a progestin.
• It thickens the cervical mucus, which keeps sperm from getting to the egg.
• Less often, it stops the ovaries from releasing eggs.

How do I use it?

How do I get it?

• You need a prescription from a healthcare provider.

Chance of getting pregnant with typical use (Number of pregnancies expected per 100 women who use this method for one year

Some Side Effects