Family Planning

Contraception and Family Planning Methods

Contraception is prevention or avoidance of unwanted pregnancy, while continuing to have penetrative sexual intercourse. The result should be careful planning of timing and spacing of childbirth within the family. The Family Planning Association website has excellent information and resource materials on all sexual health, contraception and family planning issues, that we feel it is best to point you in their direction. Nonetheless, we have reproduced some information from their site which you should find helpful. For further information, please follow the link to www.fpa.org.uk

There are 15 types of contraception available in the UK. They can be divided into type types.

Methods with no user failure – do not depend on you remembering to take or use them while Methods with user failure – require you to ensure that use them regularly or each time you have sex.

Contraceptive methods with no User failure

These methods of contraception do not depend on you remembering to take or use them.

The contraceptive injection, implant, IUS and IUD are also known as methods of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC).

Contraceptive methods with User failure

These are methods you have to use and think about regularly or each time you have sex. They must be used according to instructions.

You will be able to find out what they are, how to use them, where to get them and the advantages and disadvantages of each method on this website.

CHOOSING A BIRTH CONTROL METHOD

It can be difficult to decide which birth control method is best due to the variety of options available. The best method is one that will be used consistently, is acceptable to the woman and her partner, and which does not cause bothersome side effects. Other factors to consider include:

Efficacy
Convenience
Acceptability
Duration of action
Reversibility and time to return of fertility
Effect on uterine bleeding
Frequency of side effects and adverse events
Affordability
Protection against sexually transmitted diseases

No method of contraception is perfect. Each woman must balance the advantages of each method against the disadvantages and decide which method she prefers.