What To Use To Not Get Pregnant

Types Of Birth Control

7 Ways to Not NOT Get Pregnant

There are numerous types of birth control which can help women prevent unwanted pregnancy and regulate menstrual cycles. These can be classified into reversible and irreversible methods. Below is a list of all the various methods of birth control, along with useful information about what it is and how it works. It is important to remember that of the methods listed below, ONLY the male and the female condom provide protection against STIs.

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You Use The Pull Out Method

This old-school method of preventing pregnancy is a far cry from a myth. It’s not foolproof and it can certainly result in pregnancy, but it does significantly decrease your chances of getting pregnant. In case you need a refresher course on the pull-out method, also known as withdrawal, it involves the male partner pulling out of the vagina before he ejaculates. The problem, however, is that pre-ejaculate or precum, the bodily fluid that’s released from the penis before an actual ejaculation, very well may contain active and viable sperm.

Additionally, Mark Trolice, M.D., reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist at My Fertility CARE: The IVF Center in Winter Park, Florida, explains that most men aren’t aware of when they release this precum. “Because it’s hard to predict when pre-ejaculation occurs, the withdrawal method is often fraught with peril and certainly not the most reliable method out there,” he says.

How hard is it to get pregnant while using withdrawal? Withdrawal is about 96 percent effective with perfect use and 82 percent effective with typical use. If you really want to avoid pregnancy, choose a different contraceptive method

Examining Their Cervical Mucus

Cervical mucus, or vaginal discharge, changes in color, texture, and volume throughout the menstrual cycle.

On a persons most fertile days, the mucus will feel slippery, similar to raw egg white. On their less fertile days, it will be sticky and cloudy. On their least fertile days, there may be little or no mucus at all.

Just as with body temperature, an individual can use a chart or phone app to track their cervical mucus.

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Focus On Your Overall Health

Make lifestyle changes to get as healthy as possible and put yourself in the best position to be pregnant. If you dont have regular periods, diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle can help your body to get in a better alignment.

You can actually meet with your OB-GYN before attempting to get pregnant to talk about any existing health problems and get screened for any genetic problems. Some suggestions for ways you can change your lifestyle include:

  • working toward or maintaining a healthy weight
  • avoiding caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and drugs
  • finding ways to manage or decrease stress

Medical Causes For Not Getting Pregnant:

Infertility Causes Getting Pregnant At 35 Tips,best way to make sure ...

In some cases, the egg may get aborted naturally, while in others, the couple could suffer from impotence. You must, however, give yourself a year to conceive. If things dont work out by then, then you may reach out to a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. The causes of infertility are different in men and women.

The medical causes of infertility in women are:

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Using Prescribed Hormonal Birth Control

  • 1Talk to your doctor about a prescription for birth control pills. Birth control pills work by either keeping eggs from leaving the ovaries or making cervical mucus thicker which keeps sperm from travelling to the eggs.XResearch source There are several different brands your health care provider can recommend one that is best for your health and sexual activity.
  • Discuss side effects and risks associated with any birth control you are prescribed. For example, women over 35 who smoke are more susceptible to blood clots when they take birth control pills.
  • Birth control pills require you to diligently take the medication at the same time, every day. A missed dose could potentially increase the likelihood of pregnancies if sex is engaged in the period it is missed.
  • 2Ask for a birth control shot. The birth control shot, or Depo-Provera, is an injection of synthetic hormones that protects you from pregnancy. You will need to get a shot every 12 weeks.XResearch source
  • Depo-Provera releases a hormone called progestin which prevents the body from releasing eggs into the uterus and thickening the cervix mucus wall to prevent sperm from travelling.
  • Always discuss health risks and side effects whenever you decide to take birth control.
  • A 2-pill dose of emergency contraception requires a prescription.XTrustworthy SourceUS Department of Health and Human ServicesFederal department responsible for improving the health and well-being of AmericansGo to source
  • Stay In Bed Right After Intercourse

    You have probably heard this one — lie in bed with your feet in the air after having sex to increase your chances of getting pregnant. The verdict? Not true.

    “It’s good advice to lay in bed for 10 to 15 minutes after intercourse, but you don’t need your feet in the air,” Goldfarb says. “Your pelvis does not move when you put your legs in the air.” Don’t go the bathroom during this time either, he says. “If you wait 10 to 15 minutes, the sperm that is going to get into the cervix will be in the cervix.”

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    Talk To Your Doctor About Getting A Copper Iud

    A copper IUD is another form of emergency contraception that conveniently doubles as a long-lasting birth control method. When inserted by a health care provider within 120 hours of having unprotected sex, it reduces your risk of pregnancy at the moment, and in the future. “It is more effective than any of the pill options at any weight,â says Dr. Duran.

    As Jess OâReilly, Ph.D. and host of the Drive Him Wild With Pleasure video course previously explained to Elite Daily, “… is inserted by a medical practitioner into the uterus and the copper changes the way the sperm cells move to reduce the likelihood of their making it to the egg.” Unlike an oral emergency contraceptive, the copper IUD works by triggering your immune system to prevent pregnancy. And according to Planned Parenthood, it’s the most effective form of birth control available and can be used for up to 12 years.

    Donât be afraid to take charge of your reproductive health. If you want to prevent birth control failure from happening again, talk to your doctor about getting on the pill, getting an IUD, and always carry condoms and keep them stashed in your nightstand. Because when your body and your future are in question, you have the power to decide what happens next.

    This article was originally published on 10.26.17

    Getting Help With Family Planning

    How to NOT get pregnant

    Choosing the method of family planning thats right for you can be complicated. Consider your health and other personal needs, when or if you want to get pregnant, and your partners needs and desires.

    For example, if you want to get pregnant very soon, you may want to avoid hormonal birth control and consider fertility awareness instead, because it can take some time to get pregnant even after you stop using hormonal contraceptives. Or, if you never want to get pregnant, it is important to make sure you always use very effective birth control, such as an IUD or the birth control implant, or consider sterilization or your partner having a vasectomy.

    Your midwife or other health care provider can help you choose the family planning method and/or prescribe you the method of birth control thats right for you, your partner, and your family.

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    You’re On Birth Control

    Birth controlwhether it’s the pill, patch, ring, implant, IUD, or the shot greatly decreases your chances of conception. These methods work in various ways for example, IUDs block sperm from reaching the egg, while hormonal contraception prevent the recruitment of a mature egg, explains Dr. Brauer. Even if you’re committed to taking your birth control, you still have to use it correctly and consistently.

    Also, if you rely on contraceptive pills, take note: Some pill packs contain four to seven days of sugar pills without any hormones. In rare ocassions, this may be long enough to allow for recruitment of a mature egg. “This is often referred to as ‘escape ovulation’ and is one reason for oral hormonal contraception failure,” says Dr. Brauer. Missing doses of hormonal contraception could also increase the chances of accidental pregnancy.

    How hard is it to get pregnant on birth control? If you’re on birth control and following all instructions, then your chances of getting pregnant are generally less than 1 percent. The effectiveness decreases with “typical use” .

    Fennel And Rose Petals

    Another home remedy for conception is the consumption of fennel and rose. If yoga and exercise is something that you cannot follow to increase your chances of getting pregnant, you can have fennel and rose essence to improve your fertility. Mix 10 grams of fennel and 50 grams of rose jam, and take this mixture every night with warm milk .

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    How Can I Make The Pull Out Method Work Best

    For withdrawal to work as well as possible, you must do it right every single time. Always. So always pull out BEFORE ejaculation, and always make sure to ejaculate away from your partners genitals. This is important because pregnancy can happen if even a little bit of semen gets in the vagina.

    The best way to make the pull out method effective is to use it with another type of birth control . This way, if theres a slip up, youre still protected.

    Condoms are a great method to use with pulling out. Not only will they prevent pregnancy in case you dont pull out in time, but condoms are the only way to stop the spread of STDs during sex. You can also practice withdrawal while using condoms to learn how to pull out in time.

    Accidents happen. So if you use withdrawal for birth control, think about keeping emergency contraception in your medicine cabinet, just in case ejaculate gets in or near your vagina. Emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy for up to 5 days after unprotected sex. The best way to make the pull out method effective is to use it with another type of birth control . This way, if theres a slip up, youre still protected.

    What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication

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    Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture .

    Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

    It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location â one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.

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    Some Side Effects Can Be Serious If You Experience The Following Symptom Call Your Doctor Immediately:

    • severe lower abdominal pain

    Levonorgestrel may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

    If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .

    Abstain From Sex During Your Fertile Window

    In order to effectively postpone pregnancy naturally, a woman must be able to detect the beginning and end of her fertile window. Avoiding sex on the days you are most fertile, or during your fertile window, is key to preventing or postponing pregnancy. Even though you are not equally likely to conceive on every day of your fertile window, your chance of conception is still high. If you are trying to avoid pregnancy you will need to avoid sex during this time.

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    How Soon Can You Get Pregnant

    This is a different question just because your fertility has returned doesnt mean pregnancy will happen right away.

    This can be a really odd experience for someone who has spent years preventing pregnancy. You might assume that without birth control, you would have conceived immediatelybut thats not entirely accurate.

    Once you stop contraceptives, you may conceive the very first fertile month, or you may need to try for up to a year. This is the same as for those who have not used any birth control.

    Whats The Withdrawal Method

    How to NOT Get Pregnant! *MUST WATCH*

    Pulling out is exactly what it sounds like: pulling the penis out of the vagina before ejaculation . If semen gets in your vagina, you can get pregnant. So ejaculating away from a vulva or vagina prevents pregnancy. But you have to be sure to pull out before any semen comes out, every single time you have vaginal sex, in order for it to work.

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    Kick The Smoking And Drinking Habits

    Smoking can lead to fertility problems in both women and men. Chemicals found in cigarette smoke, such as nicotine and carbon monoxide, speed up the loss rate of a woman’s eggs, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

    Smoking ages a woman’s ovaries and depletes her supply of eggs prematurely, according to the Mayo Clinic. In a study published in 2020 in the journalReproductive Biology and Endocrinology, researchers looked at scientific findings around smoking, alcohol, addiction and fertility they found that smoking is linked to decreased fertility.

    It’s also a good idea for women to stay away from secondhand smoke, which may affect their chances of becoming pregnant, according to a 2009 study published in BMJ Journals. Taking or attempting to conceive should also be avoided.

    It’s safest for a woman to avoid alcohol when she is hoping to become pregnant. A woman should also stop consuming alcohol if she stops using birth control because she wants to get pregnant. That said, a 2019 Danish study of 1,708 women over a five-year period did not find a link between regular alcohol consumption and binge drinking, and fertility, according to the study published in the journalHuman Reproduction.

    However, a 2017 study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that in the United States, half of all pregnant women drink alcohol around the time they conceive or during early pregnancy, usually before they know they are expecting.

    Now You Know So Whats Next

    Get informed, decide what level of risk is okay for you, and choose what kind of contraception or protection to use. Remember that only condoms can protect you against both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections . The safest option is to use condoms and another form of birth control. If youre taking the pill, you can track in Clue and get personalized advice on what to do if you miss a pill.

    If after reading this youre worried you might be pregnant, check out our guide to emergency contraception, advice about what to do if your period is late, and information on the symptoms of early pregnancy.

    Whatever method of contraception or STI prevention you use, you can use Clue to track your sex habits, signs of pregnancy, and symptoms of STIs.

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    What Other Information Should I Know

    Keep all appointments with your doctor.

    Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about levonorgestrel.

    It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.

    How Long After Unprotected Sex Should I Use Emergency Contraception

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    The short answer: the sooner, the better. The length of time is completely dependent upon which method you choose but in most cases, emergency contraception is effective if taken within 3 days while ella is effective up to 5 days after unprotected sex. The IUD has the longest grace period with effectiveness up to 7 days after sex. But the sooner you take the contraceptive method of choice the better so dont delay.

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    Have Emergency Contraception Handy

    Contraceptives sometimes fail, but you still have options. EC can help prevent pregnancy if youve had unprotected sex or your birth control didnt work. There are two types of EC available:

    Hormonal EC pills. You can take hormonal EC pills right away, or up to five days after sex. But its most effective when taken within the first 72 hours. You can purchase EC pills at your local pharmacy, or, if youre insured, get a prescription for free because its considered preventative care. You should also keep one or two EC pills on hand just in case you may need it in the future.

    Emergency IUD contraception. Your doctor can insert the Copper IUD up to five days after sex to prevent pregnancy, and can last for up to 10 years. As with EC pills, the emergency IUD can be free or low-cost with most insurance plans.

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