Image: There’s just so many choices today in contraception–it’s like a smorgasbord of family planning!
Today we’re blessed—or maybe cursed—with so many contraceptive options that it’s hard to know where to turn when we start to think about family planning. And with new technology coming to the table every day, making that choice is only going to get trickier. Because the best way to navigate is to educate, let’s take a look at the basics.
Condoms. Affordable and relatively easy to come by, condoms are extremely effective both for preventing both pregnancy and for reducing the risk of STDs. When used correctly every single time, condoms are 98% effective (82% effective if not always used the right way). Add another form of birth control to that—spermicide, pills, an IUD, or something else—and that rate goes up even higher. (Note: Yes, there is such a thing as a female condom, and no, male and female partners don’t both have to wear condoms. Doubling up doesn’t actually make them any more effective. It’s much more important to wear one correctly.)
Birth Control Implant. Under the brand names Implanon and Nexplanon, the birth control implant is a thin, flexible plastic implant about the size of a matchstick that gets inserted under the skin of a woman’s upper arm. The progestin in the implant prevents pregnancy for up to three years by keeping eggs from being able to meet with sperm. The implant is pretty effective—fewer than 1 out of 100 women using it become pregnant, but some medications can cause side effects. IUDs create a similar situation, preventing sperm from accessing the egg. Some IUDs can also keep the egg from leaving the ovaries. Unlike implants, IUDs are inserted directly into the uterus.
Birth Control Pills. The pill (which can actually mean any of several different kinds) is one of the most well-known contraceptives. Like the implant, it acts with a woman’s hormones, specifically estrogen and progestin. Because the pill manipulates hormones, you’ll want to check with your doctor about possible interactions with any other medications you’re taking.
You may have noticed that most of these methods rely on the woman to wear or take something. In fact, there are only a few options for gents when it comes to preventing pregnancy: abstinence, condoms, or outercourse (sex without penetration), withdrawal (removing the penis from the vagina before ejaculation), and—my specialty—vasectomies.
Vasectomies.
This procedure is much less invasive than it used to be, to the relief of men everywhere. A vasectomy is a minor surgery, generally considered to be permanent, in which the surgeon divides and seals off sections of the vas deferens, the tubes that carry sperm. Sperm is then blocked from entering the semen, so it’s absorbed into the body rather than ejaculated.
Traditional vasectomies are still performed often, but I specialize in no-scalpel, no-needle vasectomies. These even-less-invasive procedures differ from traditional vasectomies in a few ways:
- In a traditional vasectomy, a needle is used to anesthetize the area and a scalpel is used to cut the skin. However, with no-needle vasectomies, the skin is numbed without the use of a needle. Instead, the area is numbed by an air jet that sprays the anesthesia through the skin so it goes directly to the vas deferens
- Instead of using the traditional scalpel, the skin is pierced with a small pointed instrument that spreads the skin open so the procedure can be completed. The opening made with the pointed instrument is so small that stitches or sutures are typically not required!
Take a look at this video where I explain what a no-needle, no-scalpel vasectomy is and how it works more in-depth:
While vasectomies are considered permanent, it is possible to reverse them. 75 to 97 percent of men who undergo reversals see their sperm return. I do reversals too, and I do them well!
I hope this provides you with a better understanding of the contraceptives available to you! Don’t hesitate to contact me through my website if you’re considering a vasectomy or a vasectomy reversal.