Yes, there are several ways to prevent a pregnancy from ever occuring. An abortion is only chosen
after a pregnancy has already been established.
There are basically two ways to prevent pregnancy: barrier methods and hormonal methods.
Barrier methods include condoms, cervical caps, diaphram's, spermicides, and sponges. Male condoms are generally the cheapest method to use. You can get a box of them or you can get them individually. At my planned parenthood, you can get 12 of them for $4.00 which is cheaper than at a drug store. Most male condoms are latex and latex and polyurithene condoms are the only ones that protect against sti's (sheep skin will only prevent pregnancy).
First, you check the expiration date on the condom. Then, lightly squeeze the packaging to ensure that there is still air within the package. If the guy has had it in his wallet or back pocket, .Do .Not .Use that condom. Friction from the wallet and his jeans will cause the condom to degrade. Gently slide the condom inside the package to one side so that you don't accedentally rip it when you open the package. Open the package and remove the condom. Blow gently into the reservoir (the tip of the condom) to discover which way it rolls down. Pinch the reservoir closed to dispell all of the air and then slide the condom down onto an erect penis. You can see an animated version of these instructions on Teenwire.
Female condoms are harder to find and more expensive. They are made of polyurithene. They have two rings, one to hold it in place internally and one to hold it in place externally. It comes super lubricated and is inserted into the vagina.
You have to go to the doctor to get a cervical cap or a diaphram since they have to be fitted to you. Every woman's cervix is different. Cervical caps and diaphrams are usually used with spermicide to increase their effectiveness.
Sponges can now be bought again over the counter and I found some recently at walgreen's. They are inserted vaginally and cover the opening of the cervix (otherwise known as the os). To increase their effectiveness, they should be used with spermicide as well.
Spermicide can come in film, foam, and gel. It is inserted into the vagina and is a chemical which kills the sperm, hopefully before it reaches the uterus.
There are a wide variety of hormonal methods available. We now have the pill, patch, shot, and ring.
The pill, and there are a multitude of different brands, is taken once a day, usually at about the same time everyday. Most pills have either estrogen or a mixture of estrogen and progesterone. The pill basically tricks your body into thinking it's already pregnant so that you do not ovulate. If you don't ovulate, you don't release an egg and you can't get pregnant. Progesterone only pills, also known as "mini pills", do not suppress ovulation (so you could still conceive) but they do make the lining of the uterus unable to support a fertilized ovum. Basically, the fertilized ovum slides down instead of attaching to the uterus and is dispelled naturally from the body (this happens to women even when they aren't on the pill a large amount of the time). There are all sorts of pills. There are pills that make you have a period only four times a year (seasonale) and they are as safe as the original pill, there are pills that help you with cramps, there are pills that help you lose weight, and there are pills that help your complexion. With your doctor, you can find the one that you like the best.
The patch sticks onto the skin over an area of the body that has a lot of fatty deposits (back of the shoulder, lower abdomen area, and butt - do not put on the breasts at any time). The hormones are absorbed through the skin and enter the bloodstream where they perform the same task as those in pill form. You put on a patch every seven days for three weeks and then the fourth week you don't put a patch on and that's the week you have your period. This method is not recommended for women who are 200 or more pounds.
Depo provera is the shot. You get it at your doctor's office every 3 months (4 times a year). It protects against pregnancy for those 3 months because the high dose at first stays in the body. Most women who are on it for over a year stop having a period altogether. This is a good method if you can't remember to take a pill everyday.
The nuvaring is inserted into the vagina and stays there for an entire month. The hormones are absorbed through the vaginal tissues. Most men do not feel it during sex and if it ever comes out, you just have to insert it again. You use it like the patch, for three weeks, and then on the fourth week, you wash your hands and extract it and that's the week that you have your period.
None of these hormonal methods protects against sti's. Only the latex or polyurithene condom protect against
both sti's and pregnancy.
You should make an appointment with your doctor or a local family planning clinic. It usually takes at least one month for the hormonal methods to become effective so don't think that the first week you can't get pregnant just because you have the pill now. After the first month, you're good to go.
Pm me if you need anymore information.
Peace,
jenn
