Birth Control 247

The Birth Control Patch

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Fern Miranda) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:33:00 +0000

If you don’t like wearing a contraceptive or taking it orally, you can slap it to your skin because there are birth control patches available in the market.

The birth control patch is a thin, beige colored, four and a half centimeter square patch that is applied to the skin. Each patch contains hormones that release chemicals into your bloodstream.

The chemicals found in the patch are progesterone and estrogen that are designed to prevent ovulation which is the release of an egg from the ovaries during a female’s monthly cycle. When this happens, a girl can have intercourse without the risk of getting pregnant.

The birth control patch also does something else and it thickens the mucus that is produced in the cervix making it difficult for the sperm to ever reach the eggs. Sometimes, the hormones themselves may affect the lining of the uterus so if ever the egg is fertilized, it will have a difficult time attaching itself to the walls of the uterus.

Proper usage of the birth control patch is done based on her monthly menstrual cycle. This will be applied to the skin for 3 weeks in a row and then on the fourth week, she remains patch free so she can have her monthly period.

The patch should be applied to one in four areas of the body namely the abdomen, buttocks, upper arm or torso. The trick is making sure that the patch is placed on the same day each week because this is the only way to make sure that it is effective.

So, if you decide to put on a patch on a Tuesday, this should be replaced on Tuesday the following week. Once you remove the old one, put the new one close to the previous area as this avoids skin irritation. Do not apply the new patch if the skin has a cut, is color red or irritated.

First time users of birth control patches are advised to use an additional form of contraception during the first 7 days of use. This is a failsafe in the event that the birth control patch falls off.

Birth control patches are waterproof and sweat proof so you can continue doing your daily routine. You must never apply soap and other skin products because this may affect its ability to stick on your skin.

Because the birth control patch releases chemicals into the bloodstream, you may experience some side effects. This includes abdominal pain, breast tenderness, fluid retention or raised blood pressure, irregular bleeding, headaches, menstrual cramps and nausea.

Not all women may also use birth control patches. If you are 35 years of age, suffer from blood clots, chest pain, diabetes, high blood pressure, headaches, known or suspected tumor, hepatitis, heart diseases and allergic to patches, it is advised that you find another birth control method.

Some drugs may also complicate the effectiveness of the birth control patch. These include certain antibiotics that are used to treat seizures, migraines and tuberculosis. When you speak to your doctor about birth control methods, it is best to undergo a physical examination and reveal to him or her any other relevant information about your medical condition.

Birth control patches are easy to use. You just have to put it in the same area each week and best of all, it doesn’t cause any interruptions when you are having sex.

A Comparison of Birth Control Pills – Helping You Decide

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Fern Miranda) — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:26:00 +0000

In making a comparison of birth control pills, it should be known that oral contraceptives have been around the market for over 45 years. It was first tagged as the pill when it was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or FDA. This form is the most reliable that women turn to when they want to get pregnant.

Weight Gain

But another side to oral contraceptives is how they affect a woman's body to gain weight. It really is dumbfounding because you will hear such stories from many women who have used the pill for the obvious reason of avoiding pregnancy.

But despite the fact that it causes additional pounds, the celebrity status that birth control pills have been know for have not diminished through time. Women still relay on these for such purpose, whether they gain weight or not.

This really depends on the body type of a person. Some women do not have problems of this sort. But the ladies who belong to such lucky classification have also not been fighting over the weighing scale as they were growing old. The ones who are prone to gain weight from the pills are those who accumulate fats easily through food and whatever they intake.

For this reason, when a woman gains weight from the pills, she must also be ready to counteract it by having the proper diet and right amount of exercise. You must treat it like your ordinary weight gain. This is for you to be able to trust the pill and likewise, not to risk pregnancy when you are still not ready for it.

You must not fear the drug because of the side effect on your weight. Those can be worked out on. Unlike with unexpected pregnancy, you have to live with that for the rest of your life.

A Brief Comparison of the Pills

There are actually many types of this pill available for you to choose from. The POP or Progestin-only pills have no estrogen. This is usually called the mini-pill. It primarily works to thicken the cervical mucus so that the sperm won't be able to enter the uterus. This kind must be taken consistently at a certain time everyday to achieve great results.

Combination pills, meanwhile, are those that have estrogen and progestin. The many kinds under this type are said to prevent women from having ovarian cancer as well as endometrial cancer.

The third most popular are the ECPs or emergency contraceptive pills. This must be taken after 120 hours of committing unprotected sex. The drug will prevent you from impregnating as the cause of the act. This shouldn't be taken regularly though. It is only when needed that one should subject herself to this type of pill.

The important thing to remember when choosing the type of pill that will suit your body is to consult your doctor about it. They know about what will work best for you in terms of this condition because they have scientific knowledge about the field.

This is just a brief comparison of birth control pills. There are a lot more available in the market. And for sure, a lot more will be discovered and developed as time passes by.

A Brief History of Birth Control

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Fern Miranda) — Sat, 22 May 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Here's a brief look at the history of birth control. Although pills are very much in demand to avoid getting pregnant for women, these are also causing quite a stir.

The reason for this is because birth control pills are known for one side effect. More and more women are complaining that the pills cause them to gain weight. For the ladies who use the pill just to avoid the risk of pregnancy, this is definitely not a good news.

When a woman gains weight because of the pills, it causes her to look at the other options. But not everybody is affected of this kind of side effect. Some women don't have weight issues regarding the use of birth control pills.

But for the women who are prone to such effect, there are other forms of birth control that they can choose to use. They can go the natural way or the rhythm method. This is where the partners will become involved in a sexual act only when the female is not fertile.

There are methods that are being injected and inserted to the women's genitals to obtain same effect as the pills. And among the popular ones is through the use of condoms. Nowadays, both men and women have condoms suited for their private parts.

The History

The oldest form of birth control can be the sexual abstinence. But aside from it, the withdrawal effect can also be considered as one.

Coined as the coitus interruptus, this means that the penis of a man will withdraw from the woman's genitals before the ejaculation. This prevents him from transmitting into the lady or his partner any vital sperm that may cause pregnancy. But this requires a lot of self control on the part of men.

It was also believed that Egyptian women have used suppository for their vaginas on old ages. The term for this type is pessary. This contains oil and other lubricants that will kill the sperm once the woman becomes involved in a sexual act.

The equivalent of today's female condoms at the time is a cervical cap for Asian women. This is like oiled paper. And for the same goal, Europeans have used beeswax. It was not until the 17th century that a condom was invented. When it was first introduced, it wasn't as popular as today. And it was intended not only to avoid the risk of pregnancy but also to avoid acquiring sexually transmitted disease like syphilis.

Throughout human history,there are various abortifacients that have been used. But the effects vary and those that were proven effective caused a lot of side effects. In the developing years, the herbal medium was used to act as a contraceptive.

The 20th century introduced the rhythm method or the natural way. It is still being applied today and can be as effective as the birth control pills but will also require a lot of control from both concerning partners.

In 1960, the FDA approved the pill that is now known as birth control. It was in 1972 that the pill became available for married ladies and singles ones who are over the age of 21. This was part of the 26th Amendment.

This brief history of birth control shows you its popularity through time. Although, it is also known to cause added weight, people rely on one or two types in hopes of not risking getting their partners pregnant at the time that they are still not ready for it.

Birth Control Through the Times

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Fern Miranda) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:10:00 +0000

Birth control is and has always been one of the most celebrated and controversial topics in the history of man. It is because in almost all eras and generations, people have always had opposing beliefs on it.

In the bible after the great flood that wiped out almost all of human existence, God made a promise that no matter what happens he will not ever again destroy what he created. He also told Noah and his children to go forth and multiply.

Now I don’t know if the idea was to populate the world or just simply multiply without thinking about anything but one thing is for sure. We are successful in multiplying fast. In the United States alone population is expected to grow up to 12 million births in 2025, some people think that we still have a long way to go until 2025 but when you think about it how many infants are born every year and with the rapidly depleting resources that we have here on our planet just imagine what could happen in 2025.

People have become conscious of this reality a long time ago, in fact people as far as the age of ancient Egypt have become aware of the drastic effect of a growing population and depleting resources. Ancient Egyptians have the earliest records of recorded instructions on how to make contraceptive pessary. Other early forms of contraceptives are coitus interruptus and ingestion of herbs that are believed to be abortifacient.

Though the threats of overpopulation are real, the concept of birth control still remains to be one of the taboos of modern society. Advocates, religious organizations and private citizens that are against birth control call it an abomination of what God has given. But even with the antagonism of some people, it has stopped the rise and move of birth control.

In present times, to balance out the grievances of the pro-birth control sector and the anti-birth control sector, a truce has been drawn between the two and they left the decision to the people. Because of this development people can now freely choose which method they like to use.

There are a lot of methods of birth control available to people nowadays.

There are two kinds of birth control approaches available to couples, first one is the artificial method (this is he method that is raising controversy in some sectors) and the Natural method (said to be where Pro and Anti compromised) both methods can be learned and applied any time during the course of the couples relationship.

Some of the commonly known artificial methods are Physical method, barrier method, hormonal, intrauterine method and Ormeloxifene (Centchroman). These methods involve intake of hormones that hinder the sperm from reaching the egg cell, using a physical barrier to prevent the transfer of sperms and operating on the reproductive organ to divert the pathway the sperm of the egg cell is taking.

These are the methods that some anti-birth control advocates call playing God, since we deviate the natural occurrence from happening.

Natural birth control is also available to people who do not believe that science should dip their fingers in the natural ways of man. Some of the methods include behavioral methods, fertility awareness, coitus interruptus, avoiding vaginal intercourse and abstinence during fertile weeks.

Natural or artificial the important thing about birth control is not how people do it but why, if you take a look at our present situation some families barely make enough to get their children through high school.

Some families are too broke to afford three square meals a day. Without a doubt birth control is needed in our present society for us to provide the next generation a better future.