What is birth control made out of?
Birth control – the necessary bugaboo of many a young adult, but honestly, it’s like any other preventative measure one takes in their life. You wear seatbelts to protect yourself; you put on sunscreen to protect your skin from harmful rays; and you take birth control pills or use contraceptives to protect yourself against unplanned pregnancy. Simple math! But what are birth control devices made out of? We will delve into this question with bite-sized bursts of information, leaving no stone unturned.
Hormonal Birth Control
Ah…hormones – nature’s naughty little secret sauce that makes things fun/interesting/exciting/messy during puberty (and beyond!). Unsurprisingly, hormones play a significant role in regulating one’s reproductive health too. Therefore it shouldn’t come as a surprise that most hormonal-based forms of contraception contain artificial hormones similar in structure/functionality to those observed naturally in the body. Popular hormone-containing methods include:
Birth Control Pills
Oral contraceptive pills typically contain either estrogen-progestin combinations or progestin only formulations (also known as “mini-pills”). The makeup often includes chemical compounds like ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone acetate which work together by inhibiting ovulation thereby making egg fertilization impossible,
Vaginal Rings
Inserting something inside your privates for protecting them may sound weird at first..but if offering you reliable prevention power- why not go for it?. A handy dandy flexible ring sporting etonogestrel plus ethinyl estradiol can be found constantly delivering consistent levels when needed throughout its 21-day lifespan!
Patches
Ortho Evra has something that doesn’t involve needles yet still serves up consistency and efficacy level-galore via its transdermal patch delivery system containing synthetic analogs Estradiol and Norelgestromin. When applied directly to the skin, these hormones work gradually – but with increasing intensity- in order to prevent pregnancy.
Non-Hormonal Birth Control
As much as we all crave simplicity and convenience wherever possible, hormonal birth control might not be suitable for everyone. In fact it has been recorded that about 16% of women who have used the pill or patch experience side effects ranging from headaches/mood changes/strictly individualized issues- since every woman’s chemical makeup is unique. Nevertheless! This is where non-Hormonal choices come into play:
Barrier Methods
Now this one is a classic duo that’s well known among many: condoms and diaphragms (or cervical caps). These methods are designed purely around “blocking” access between egg & sperm similar all other roadblocks out there like taking the long route because of construction.. sure; It takes longer but you eventually get there . Natural rubber latex, polyisoprene , polyurethane —all materials capable of getting between baby-making fluid et al .
IUDs
If you’re looking for something that can basically predict your next period while preventing your current pregnancy, then IUDs need an applause by default. They’re literally small T-shaped devices made up of plastic/copper/silver fitted inside your uterus via streptococcus creating a barrier so powerful against fertilization aka stopping entry of any kind-of-yielding fetus.
Sterilization
Sterilisation may seem extreme at first however it comes with no-obligation peace-of-mind satisfaction! Ladies’ options include Tubal Ligation whilst Men’s option includes Vasectomy clinics around most areas, If you’ve toyed with thoughts on wanting to become child-free permanently, this method offers just that- A permanent solution!
Conclusion
Ensuring sexual health should always remain important but let’s face facts- misconceptions & bad jokes lurk around a lot- so here’s hoping we’ve effectively educated you on answering this sneaky-sly query that’s been nagging in your subconscious thus far. Ultimately each contraceptive option offers different pros& cons unique to the user and its ultimately up to us alone for our preferences…beware though whatever choice made adequate research and communication is key!