Printer FriendlyA Guys' Guide to Birth Control:
Other Birth Control Methods for Females
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What other types of birth control are available for females?
There are four additional types of female birth control:
- Female Sterilization
- Intra-Uterine Devices (IUDs)
- Natural Family Planning
- Lactational Amenorrhea (LAM)
How does each method work, and how effective are they at preventing pregnancy?
Each of these methods has a different efficacy rate towards preventing pregnancy. These rates vary depending on “typical use” vs. “perfect use”. Keep in mind that perfect use hardly ever happens.
Female Sterilization:
Female sterilization is a permanent method of birth control. There are several different methods of female sterilization, and they all involve minor surgery. All methods either close or cut the fallopian tubes (the tubes that carry the eggs from the ovary to the uterus) so that sperm can't move through and fertilize an egg.
| Out of 100 women using female sterilization | |
| Typical use: 1 or less women become pregnant in a year |  |
| Perfect use: 1 or less women become pregnant in a year | |
Intra-Uterine Devices (IUDs):
An IUD is a small device that is placed inside of a female's uterus. There are two different types of IUDs; copper and hormonal. Although they work in different ways, both are longer term birth control options. The hormonal IUD can stay in a woman's body for up to 5 years, and the copper IUD can stay in a woman's body for up to 10 years.
| Out of 100 women using an IUD | |
| Typical use: 1 or less women become pregnant in a year | |
| Perfect use: 1 or less women become pregnant in a year | |
Natural Family Planning:
Natural family planning is a term for different methods of birth control that are based on avoiding sexual intercourse during the ovulation period of a woman's menstrual cycle. The ovulation period is when a woman is most likely to get pregnant; so couples using any natural family planning method do not have sex during this period.
| Out of 100 women using natural family planning | |
| Typical use: 24 women become pregnant in a year |  |
| Perfect use: Less than 1 to 5 (average of 3) women become pregnant in a year |  |
Lactational Amenorrhea (LAM):
The LAM method is a temporary method of birth control that a woman can use under the following conditions:
- A woman has to be breastfeeding a baby that she has given birth to
- The baby must be under 6 months old
- She hasn't had her period since giving birth
Breastfeeding a baby changes how a woman's body works and prevents the ovaries from releasing an egg. When there is no egg, pregnancy can't happen.
| Out of 100 women using the lactational amenorrhea method | |
| Typical use: 2 women become pregnant in a year |  |
| Perfect use: 2 women become pregnant in a year | |
Do natural family planning methods of birth control protect against STDs?
No. None of these methods protect against STDs. you're sexually active, use a condom every time you have sexual intercourse to protect yourself from getting an STD. Abstinence (not having sex) is the only method that guarantees pregnancy and STD prevention.
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Updated: 11/22/2011
