What Doesn't Work
Fertility Awareness- based Methods |
Spermicide |
Withdrawal |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
Method |
You keep track of your menstrual cycle and have unprotected intercourse only during the "safe" (or infertile) days. | A woman inserts a spermicide - available in foams, films, creams, jellies, or suppositories - deep into the vagina before sex to kill sperm before they can reach an egg. | The man withdraws his penis from the vagina before ejaculation. | |
Success rate |
With typical use, between 12 and 25 women in 100 will become pregnant in one year, depending on the method used. With perfect use, between 2 and 9 women out of 100 will become pregnant in one year. | With typical use, 29 women in 100 become pregnant in one year. With perfect use 18 women in 100 will become pregnant in one year. | With typical use, 29 women in 100 become pregnant in one year. With perfect use 18 women in 100 will become pregnant in one year. With typical use, 27 women in 100 become pregnant in one year. With perfect use four women in 100 will become pregnant in one year. | |
Groovy part |
It's free and there are no devices to deal with. There are no side effects (except having to go without intercourse for several days before and after ovulation or using a barrier method during this time). | You can buy it at any drugstore without a prescription; it can provide lubrication for intercourse. | It's better than not using any protection, but it isn't a very effective method of birth control. | |
Drag factor |
Doesn't protect against STDs including HIV. Predicting when a woman will ovulate is not easy, and sperm can live inside a woman's body for days. You have to keep careful track of your vaginal mucus, menstrual cycle, and/or body temperature to accurately track your fertility patterns beginning several months before you start relying on this method. Because of the difficulty of using this method, there are a lot of accidental pregnancies. | Doesn't protect against STDs including HIV. Some spermicides such as nonoxynol-9 have been found to irritate the vaginal walls making someone more susceptible to STD and HIV infection. Follow the directions carefully: this may mean waiting to have sex after insertion so that the spermicide can dissolve and spread. You must insert more spermicide each time you have intercourse. At drugstores and supermarkets. The cost is $9 to $12 for the spermicide and applicator; refills cost $4 to $8. | Doesn't protect against STDs including HIV. Because sperm can live in pre-ejaculate, even if a man withdraws early, there is a chance of getting pregnant. Also, it may be a stressful method to rely on - women have to rely on men to get it right; and men have to remember to withdrawal prior to ejaculation. | |
How to
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You will need good instruction - a class or health care provider - and several months of charting before you begin to rely on his method. | At drugstores and supermarkets. The cost is $9 to $12 for the spermicide and applicator; refills cost $4 to $8. | Just do it. |
What Doesn't Work At All
If you're considering any of these contraceptive methods, don't! They won't help you. Here's why:
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Having intercourse during your period
First of all, just because you see blood doesn't mean you can't get pregnant - some women bleed during ovulation, when they're most fertile. And it's often hard to predict when you'll ovulate. Sex during your period is also a riskier time for HIV transmission. So you should use protection whenever you have intercourse.
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Peeing after intercourse
A complete myth! Urinating after sex does nothing to protect against pregnancy because women do not urinate out of their vaginal opening. So although the urinary opening is near the vagina (just above it), urinating will not flush sperm out of the vaginal opening.
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Douching
Instead of rinsing sperm out of the vagina, douching may actually help them swim upstream towards an egg. It also can increase the risk of infection. All in all, a bad idea!
