Consult with your doctor to determine which contraceptive method suits you

Choosing the right contraception or birth control method can be a difficult for a lot of women. There are quite a number of birth control methods including injectables, using condoms, pills and implants. What is suitable for one might not be so for someone else.

Wednesday, May 02, 2012
A woman taking an injectable contraceptives, common in Rwanda. Net photo.

Choosing the right contraception or birth control method can be a difficult for a lot of women. There are quite a number of birth control methods including injectables, using condoms, pills and implants. What is suitable for one might not be so for someone else.You need to consider factors like age, lifestyle habits, medical history and general health when determining which contraceptive is good for them.One common mistake women make is to get advice from people who aren’t medically qualified to offer such guidance.Due to the use of the wrong contraceptive method, some women have had to suffer horrible consequences such as prolonged bleeding, excess weight gain and hair loss.Dr. Thomas Nsengiyumva, a family planning expert in the Ministry of Health, says "the right thing is to talk to your health care provider and tell them what exactly you want to do so they can advise accordingly after assessing your health situation”He says that different contraceptives cause different reactions to different women.According to Marcy E.Holmes, a nurse practitioner at Women to Women Health Care Center in Yarmouth, advises that,  in case one wants to prevent pregnancy, barrier methods like condoms are the best at preventing infections carried in semen, like HIV, but will not protect you from infections that can be transmitted by skin-skin contact like Herpes and HPV."Most birth control methods like the IUD or the pill, are not sufficient in a situation of multiple or frequently changing partners because although they prevent pregnancy, they don’t protect against STD’s,”she said.If a woman has heavy or painful periods, all oral contraceptives can help lighten the flow, but extended-cycle pills can considerably reduce or even end painful bleeding by reducing the number of periods you get per year.In situations where a woman just had a new baby and wants to resume being sexually active, they should avoid pills that contain estrogen because it decreases breast-milk production by up to five percent, according to Women’s Health magazine.Progestin-only pills don’t interfere with lactation however one needs to ensure they take them at the same time every day.