What are Birth Control Methods? Spiral and More…

What are birth control methods? How to avoid pregnancy? If couples are not protected, the probability of getting pregnant after one year of regular intercourse is 80-85%. Therefore, under today’s opportunities and conditions, it is important for them to use birth control methods in order to have the desired number of children in the desired time period. There are effective methods available for both men and women in this regard.

The most commonly used modern methods for women are contraceptive pills and intrauterine coil insertion. However, injections, diaphragms, tablets and suppositories that kill male sperm cells, and methods of tying the woman’s tubes, called tubal ligation, are also among the effective methods of birth control.

BIRTH CONTROL PILLS (ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES)

Birth control pills provide protection from pregnancy by disrupting ovulation with the estrogen and progesterone hormones they contain. Oral contraceptives are highly effective, easy to use and recyclable methods. In ideal use, the failure rate is 0.3%. Success in protection is most possible with regular use, and caution should be exercised in cases such as diarrhea and vomiting. It is the first method that can be recommended especially for newly married couples who have never been pregnant before. The advantages of this method include ensuring menstrual regularity, being good for acne, being protective against ovarian and uterine cancers, preventing the growth of cysts in the ovaries, and preventing menstrual pain. However, birth control pills should not be used in cases of abnormal vaginal bleeding of unknown cause until the cause is determined, those with high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, and those with symptoms of vascular occlusion disease.

WHAT IS INTRUTERINE DEVICE? (Spiral)

The spiral used as a birth control device is a device that is 2-3 centimeters long, T-shaped and made of metal or plastic material. This small device is wrapped with special copper wires that prevent pregnancy from occurring. Some types of intrauterine devices (spiral types) also have parts that secrete progesterone hormone, and such spirals are called “hormonal spiral” (mirena). Copper intrauterine devices (IUD) are one of the most used modern family planning methods in our country.

Copper spirals secrete a small amount of copper every day to prevent fertilization. In this way, it affects the implantation of the pregnancy in the inner wall of the uterus, reduces the movement of sperm and prevents them from reaching the tubes. Since it does not suppress ovulation, when it is removed, pregnancy may occur from the first month. Mirena prevents pregnancy by secreting the progestin hormone.

The protection of copper spirals is 5 or 10 years, depending on the type used. Their disadvantages are that they may cause menstrual pain, increase the amount or duration of menstruation, and have no protection against genital infection. Whether copper spirals are suitable for you can be decided after an examination by a gynecologist, and they should be fitted by a mother and child health center or a gynecologist. The insertion of an intrauterine device can be painful from time to time, in which case it would be more appropriate to perform the procedure under anesthesia. IUD insertion can occur both during menstruation and in the interim period. Protection begins immediately. After the IUD is inserted, the person who wears it should be given training to check the vagina after each menstrual period. Afterwards, it should be checked annually. The protection rate of IUDs is quite high, and on average, only two out of 100 women who use them become pregnant in a year.

The protection of Al Hormonal IUDs is 5 years. Unlike copper spirals, a decrease in the amount of bleeding during menstruation is observed over time. It is especially preferred in people with excessive bleeding. Its protection is higher than copper spirals, and the pregnancy rate is 1-2 out of 1000 women. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, weight gain, ovarian cyst formation, and spotting. After the hormonal IUD is removed, fertility returns quickly, the pregnancy rate in the first year is 90%.

CONDOM

It is a very thin and flexible sheath made of a type of rubber used by men. It prevents the sperm cells in the semen ejaculated from the man during sexual intercourse from passing into the female genital organ. Its protection is 97% when applied correctly. Its advantage is possible protection against sexually transmitted diseases. But natural skin condoms do not protect against HIV and other infections.

A female condom is a pouch-shaped protection product made of latex or polyurethane that women can use by placing it in the vaginal canal. Also known as Femidom (short for Demale Condom).

Birth Control Injection (Protective Injections)

They work just like birth control pills. It is suitable for use when other methods fail or when long-term pregnancy is undesirable. The first day of menstrual bleeding is ideal for application. Side effects may include irregular bleeding, weight gain, breast tenderness, and headache. Most women experience irregular bleeding in the first year. Bone loss may occur with repeated applications. The failure rate in one year is around 3 per thousand. The time it takes to get pregnant may be delayed after you stop taking injections.

TUBULAR LIGATION (CONNECTING THE TUBE)

The process of sterilizing women by surgically tying the tubes that carry their eggs is called tubal ligation. When the tubes are closed, fertilization does not occur because the woman’s egg cell cannot unite with the male sperm cell. It is approximately 100% effective. The possibility of getting pregnant is almost non-existent. With a simple surgery, it definitively protects the woman from pregnancy for life. Tubal ligation can be applied during birth or at any time in patients whose delivery method is cesarean section. It can be performed with closed (laparoscopic) or open (minilaparotomy) surgery. Women’s sexual functions or menstrual cycles are not affected in any way, they just lose their fertility. It is a birth control method that is very difficult to reverse. It does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.

You can contact us for procedures that need to be performed by gynecologists and obstetricians in Izmir, such as intrauterine device insertion, tubal ligation, birth control injection.