Around U : 5 Healthy Birth Control Using Contraceptives!!!

According to World Health Organisation, reproductive health means a total well-being in all aspects of reproduction. Therefore ,a society with people having physically and functionally normal reproductive organs and normal emotional and behavioral interactions among them in all sex related aspects might be called reproductively healthy
India was amongst the first countries in the world to initiate action plans and programmes at a national level to attain total reproductive health as a social goal. Introduction to sex education in schools were a part of this programme.

In the last century an all round development in various fields significantly improved the quality of life of the people. The world population which was around 2 billion in 1900 rocketed to about 6 billions by 2000. A similar trend was observed in India too. Our population which was around 350 am llion at the time of our independence reached close to the billion mark by 2000 and crossed 1 billion in may 2000. That means, every  sixth person in the world is an Indian.

The most important step to overcome this problem is to motivate smaller FAM lies by using various contraceptive methods. An ideal contraceptive should be user friendly , easily available ,effective and reversible with no or less side effects. It also should in no way interfere with the sexual drive ,desire and/or the sexual act of the user.

A wide range of contraceptive methods are presently available which could be broadly grouped into the following categories,namely Natural/traditional ,Barrier ,IUDs ,Oral contraceptives, Injectable ,Implants and Surgical methods.

Natural Method

Works on the principle of avoiding chances of ovum and spermseeting. Periodic abstinence is one such method in which the couple's avoid or abstain from coitus from day 10 to day 17 of the menstrual cycle when ovulation could be expected. As chances of fertilisation are very high during this period, it is called the fertile period. Therefore by abstaining from coitus during this period, conception could be prevented. Withdrawal or coitus interruptus is another method in which the male partner withdraws his penis from the vagina just before ejaculation so as to avoid insemination. Lactational amenorrhea method is based on the fact ovulation and therefore the cycle do not occur during the period of intense lactation following parturition. Therefore as long as the mother breast feeds the child fully, chances of conception are almost nil. However ,this method has been reported to be effective only upto a maximum period of six months following parturition. As no medicines or devices are used in these methods ,side effects are almost nil. Chances of failure ,though ,of this method are also high.

Barrier

In barrier methods, ovum and sperms are prevented from physically meeting with the help of barriers. Such methods are available for both males and females. Condoms are barriers made of thin rubber /latex sheath that are used to cover the penis in the male or vagina and cervix in the female, just before coitus so that the ejaculated semen would not enter into female reproductive tract. This can prevent conception. 'Nirodh' is a popular brand of a ndom for the male. Use of condoms has increased in recent years due to its additional benefit of protecting the user from contracting STDs and AIDs. Both the male and the female condoms are disposable ,can be self- inserted and thereby gives privacy to the user. Diaphragms, cervical caps and vaults are also barriers made of rubber that are inserted into the female reproductive tract to cover the cervix during coitus. They are reusable. Spermicidal creams, jellies and foams are usually used along with these barriers to increase their contraceptive efficiency.

Intra Uterine Devices (IUDs)

These devices are inserted by doctors or expert nurses in the uterus through vagina. These intra Uterine Devices are presently available as non medicated IUDs, copper releasing IUDs and hormone releasing IUDs. The hormone releasing IUDs  make the uterus unsuitable for implantation and the cervix hostile to the sperms. Ideal contraceptive for the females who want to delay pregnancy.

Oral Contraceptives (pills)

Oral administration of small doses of either progestogens or progestogen-estrogen combinations is another contraceptive method used by the females. They are used in the form of tablets and hence are popularly called the Pills. Pills have to be taken daily for a period of 21 days starting preferably within the first five days of menstrual cycle. After a gap of 7 days it had to be repeated in the same pattern till the female desired to prevent conception. They inhibit ovulation and implantation as well as alter the quality of verb Cal mucus to prevent / retard entry of sperms. Pills are very effective with lesser side effects and are well accepted by females. Saheli ,the new oral contraceptive for the female contains a non steroidal preparation. It is a 'once a week' pills with very few side effects and high contraceptive value.

Implants

Progestogens alone or in combinations with estrogen can be also used by females as injections or Implants under skin. Administration of progestogens or progestogen-estrogen combinations or IUDs within 72 hrs of coitus have been found to be very effective as emergency contraceptive as they could be used to avoid possible pregnancy due to rape or casual unprotected intercourse.

Surgical Methods

Also called sterilisation are generally advised for the male / female partner as a terminal method to prevent any more pregnancies. Surgical intervention blocks gamete transport and thereby prevent conception. Sterilisation procedure in the male is called 'Vasectomy' and in the female , 'tubectomy'. In Vasectomy , a small part of the vas deferens is removed or tied up through a small incision in the scrotum where as in tubectomy' , a small part of fallopian tube is removed or tied up through a small incision in the abdomen or through vagina. These techniques are highly effective bit their reversibility is poor.