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Contraception or birth control is the term used for the prevention
of pregnancy. There are numerous methods to prevent a
pregnancy: µcoitus interruptus¶ (withdrawal), the use of hormone
medications, contraceptive devices (barriers), periods of avoiding
sex and surgery. However, these methods are not all
equally reliable.

a
   


Methods Of
Contraception
Natural
Methods
  
  
  
 

 

  





 



 

Barrier Methods




 


  

Hormonal
Methods


  

 



Intra Uterine
Devices
Permanent
Methods
 
  


  


Ñ ergency
Contraception
 
!    
 

ÿ


á These ethods are quite effective.

á The IUD ethod provides long-ter contraception.

á They prevent having to face the difficult decisions that co e with unwanted
pregnancy.

0 


á Ñ
cept for the IUD, these ethods don't provide ongoing contraception.

á No for of e ergency contraception can prevent se
ually trans itted infection.

á They are not 100 percent effective. If your enstrual period hasn't begun by
three weeks after treat ent, or if sy pto s ofpregnancy develop, see your
practitioner


  !"   
 

 
 



 
reviewed by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.
£our general ethods of e ergency contraception are currently available in the United States: the
orning-after pill, in both estrogen-progestin and progestin-only for ulas; the IUD; and RU486. This
article e
plains how each ethod works and their various side effects. £or ore infor ation, including
how to obtain e ergency contraception, see our article How to Prevent Pregnancy after Having
Unprotected Se
.

r !  # 

The classic orning-after pill is really a high-dose co bination of estrogen and progestin that's taken
twice in a 12-hour period. While the doses can be ade up by taking a nu ber of standard oral
contraceptive pills, a kit called Preven, designed specifically for e ergency contraception, is now
available by prescription in the U.S.

Most practitioners reco end running a pregnancy test (included in the kit) before using the edication.
You should be aware that the orning-after pill is intended to › 
 conception fro taking place, not
to   an established pregnancy. If this sounds a little confusing, don't hesitate to talk to your
practitioner--she can help you figure out if you are in the right part of the cycle for taking this edication.

The ost co on side effect of the orning-after pill is nausea and vo iting--which can be severe--so
any physicians will prescribe antinausea edication to be taken an hour before starting
thecontraceptive regi en. If vo iting occurs less than an hour after taking the first dose of contraceptive
pills, the dose should be repeated. The nausea usually subsides within 24 hours after starting the pills.

It's i portant to know that high-dose estrogen regi ens are not suitable for everyone. Wo en with an
increased risk of blood clots or other serious co plications fro oral contraceptive pills should use a
different for of e ergency contraception.

This protocol reduces the chances of getting pregnant by 75 percent. If 100 couples have one act of
unprotected intercourse and then use this ethod, only two will end up pregnant instead of the e
pected
nu ber of seven or eight.

r#  # 

A high-dose, progestin-only orning-after pill is also available by prescription in the U.S. Under the brand
na e Plan B, these pills also co e packaged in a kit with detailed instructions and a ho e pregnancy
test. This regi en causes uch less nausea than the estrogen-containing regi en, and it appears to be
at least as effective, so any people prefer it to the estrogen-containing ethod.

$ 
A copper-containing IUD inserted within five days of unprotected intercourse can prevent i plantation of
a fertilized egg in the uterus, as well as provide long-ter contraception fro that ti e forth. A downside
of this ethod is that so e people who have unprotected se
are at risk for se
ually trans itted disease,
and the IUD is not reco ended for wo en with gonorrhea or chla ydia. This ethod has the lowest
failure rate: About 1 wo an in 1,000 who uses the IUD as e ergency contraception beco es pregnant.

$%&'
RU486, recently released onto the U.S. arket under the brand na e Mifepristone, is a edication that
counteracts the natural fe ale hor one progesterone. Taken for four days any ti e
betweenovulation and when the period is due, RU486 prevents i plantation of a fertilized egg. Despite its
presence on the arket, RU486 is not as widely available as the afore entioned ethods are.

 
!    
 

ÿ


á These ethods are quite effective.

á The IUD ethod provides long-ter contraception.

á They prevent having to face the difficult decisions that co e with unwanted pregnancy.

0 


á Ñ
cept for the IUD, these ethods don't provide ongoing contraception.

á No for of e ergency contraception can prevent se
ually trans itted infection.

á They are not 100 percent effective. If your enstrual period hasn't begun by three weeks after
treat ent, or if sy pto s ofpregnancy develop, see your practitioner.

    (or Ô#   or #  ) is a synthetic progestogen used as an active ingredient

in so e hor onal contraceptive