How to Prevent Pregnancy

There are many reasons why a person might want to prevent pregnancy: the economy, marital status, health, and a plethora of other reasons. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep from getting pregnant (or getting someone else pregnant). Look below for some of the best ways to prevent pregnancy.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a form of birth control
• communication
• commitment to not getting pregnant

1. The most obvious way to prevent pregnancy is to not have sex. Or, if one does have sex, have it in a way that doesn't involve vaginal intercourse. Sperm plus vagina often equals pregnancy. If you avoid this equation entirely, you'll prevent pregnancy.

2. Of course, many people don't choose to prevent pregnancy by going with step number one, so lets look at some other options. Statistically, the pill and the IUD are the best methods available to prevent pregnancy. So is the Depo shot, which is similar to the pill in that it influences hormones. Rings and patches also work this way. For any of these options, you will need to see a doctor and get a prescription.

3. Condoms are an excellent choice when it comes to preventing pregnancy. This is because they are inexpensive, readily available and have the added bonus of preventing many STDs. If you REALLY want to prevent pregnancy, use a condom with one of the other methods, since NO method is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy.

4. Sometimes a condom breaks, or even worse, someone is forced to have sex against their will. In cases like these, emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy. You can call your doctor for the morning after pill which can be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. Your doctor may instead recommend that you take a particular dose of birth control pills, instead. Yet another option is getting an IUD implanted within five days of unprotected sex.

5. There are many other ways to prevent pregnancy out there, but statistically, they are not very reliable, and they do not prevent disease. The rhythm method is one of these ways. So is the diaphragm (messy!) and contraceptive foams.

6. One of the newer ways to prevent pregnancy is the female condom. A new version is under development that will be more affordable and easier to use. Keep up to date on ways to prevent pregnancy by asking your doctor what is new!

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a partner who is not interested in preventing pregnancy despite your desire to do so, this is a huge red flag. It not only shows a disregard for your feelings, but a disregard for the life that could result from his or her actions.
• Remember that most forms of birth control do not protect against any sexually transmitted diseases.

Resources

• Planned Parenthood