Contraception is commonly termed as birth control. It is also called as the fertility control aiming to prevent pregnancy and childbirth. Birth control had been the topic of discussion for the last many decades and a lot of research and awareness has made it possible to provide a good number of options for the general population for contraception.
Now, there are many methods of fertility or birth control which can be opted by couples and people to avoid the unwanted or unplanned pregnancies.
- Barrier methods are the simplest form of birth control. Examples are condoms, diaphragm, female condoms, cervical caps, and sponges. The failure rate of barrier methods is quite high, but they are still practiced.
- Intrauterine devices are also a very effective and commonly used method of contraception. Intrauterine devices have been formulated in many different forms. They act as a foreign body and make the uterine environment unfavorable for sperm fertilization or implantation. Intrauterine devices are hormonal and non-hormonal with very low failure rates. But they are associated with heavy menstrual bleeding which makes them an undesired option for some females
- Male and female sterilization is the permanent method of birth control. In males, vasectomy is done which results in birth control. In females, permanent birth control is done by bilateral tubal ligation. This method of birth control is not applicable to all the couples and is highly subjective and based on personal preference.
- Contraceptive pills and injection is one of the most popular and commonly used birth control methods. The failure rate for contraceptive injection is also very low and are thus very widely administered. However, hormonal contraceptives are also associated with menstrual irregularities in some patients. Weight gain is another problem caused by hormonal contraceptives.
Oral contraceptive pills and tracker
- Oral contraceptives or contraceptive pills is also one of the commonly used methods of birth control. There are many forms of oral contraceptive pills. They are mainly composed of estrogen and progesterone. Some pills contain both hormones and some are composed of progestin only. There are emergency pills also which must be taken within three days of intercourse.
- Birth control pills are not just used for the purpose of contraception, they are also utilized in a number of other problems as well. A most common use of birth control pills is in treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome PCOS caused by hormonal imbalance in females. Endometriosis is another indication of the use of OCPS or oral contraceptive pills. Other than that, OCPs are also prescribed in patients of adenomyosis, acne owing to PCOs and irregular bleeding or amenorrhea.
Birth control pill tracker is a very practical way of keeping track of pills and not missing any dose of the drug. Compliance is the most important problem associated with OCPs and is the main cause of failure of this birth control method. To help to reduce the problem, a tracker is advised to follow which makes sure that pills are taken in time and no dose is missed or no double dose is administered to a female.