Preventing Pregnancy

Abstract

In this essay, the author discusses various ways to prevent pregnancy.  The essay discusses why people might choose to prevent pregnancy, some historical forms of birth control, and the types of contraceptives in use today.  When discussing modern pregnancy prevention methods, the essay explores potential side effects as well as their failure rates and also how proper use can help reduce the number of failures.  The author also discusses where people can get birth control and the steps that they need to follow in order to access certain types of birth control methods.  While the essay may explore legal barriers to accessing birth control, it does not explore the various cultural or religious objections to birth control, other than to note that some religious or cultural traditions are opposed to pregnancy prevention.  

Essay Topics 

Essay Titles

Essay Outline

I. Introduction

A. Why people prevent pregnancies

B. Historical methods of birth control

C. Types of modern birth control

D. How to get birth control

II. Why people prevent pregnancies

A. No desire to have children 

B. Delay pregnancy and childbirth

C. Cannot be pregnant for health reasons

III. Historical Methods of Birth Control

A. Abstinence

B. Extended breast-feeding

C. Withdrawal

D. Cervical caps

E. Abortifacient herbs

F. Condoms

IV. Types of modern birth control

A. Natural methods

B. Barrier methods

C. Prevent ovulation

D. Prevent Implantation

E. Sterilization

V. How to get birth control

A. Depends on type of birth control

B. May require doctor’s exam or fitting

C. May require a prescription

VI. Conclusion

Introduction

There are many reasons that people may choose to prevent or delay pregnancy, from a desire not to have kids to having a medical condition that makes pregnancy life-threatening. Choosing an effective way to prevent pregnancy is important to anyone who does not want a pregnancy, but the importance of the efficacy of the birth control method needed may depend on why a person is making that choice.  The desire to have sex without experiencing pregnancy is not a new one; various methods to prevent pregnancy have been used throughout human history with varying degrees of success.  While some people still use these older methods, there are a number of types of very effective modern forms of birth control.  Some of these pregnancy prevention methods are available over-the-counter or in drugstores, while others require a visit to the doctor and a prescription for either a medication or a device.  

Essay Hook

With the wide variety of highly effective ways to prevent pregnancy, it is relatively easy for both men and women to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies. 

Thesis Statement

Unfortunately, lack of education about birth control, including its proper use, as well as lack of affordable access to the most effective birth control methods can mean that the highest-risk groups for unintended pregnancies are also the least likely to practice appropriate pregnancy prevention. 

Body

There are many reasons that people may choose to prevent pregnancy.  For most people, pregnancy prevention is not based in a desire to never have a pregnancy, but based in the desire to control when they conceive and how many children they have in their family.  In most parts of the developed world, people use birth control to delay conception after they become sexually active, may use some type of contraceptive to increase the gap between children once they begin their families, and resume using contraceptives when they have completed their families.  However, some people use birth control methods because they have no desire to ever have children.  Other people use birth control because of health issues or medications that would make carrying a child physically dangerous for the mother.  

The desire to control when she gets pregnant or how many pregnancies she experiences is not limited to modern women.  Throughout history, women and men have employed a variety of different methods to try to prevent pregnancy.  Three of these methods are considered “natural” methods for pregnancy prevention: abstinence, extended breast-feeding, and withdrawal, while others included barrier methods and attempts to either prevent ovulation or the implantation of fertilized eggs.  Abstinence was probably the most common form of pregnancy prevention, and one of the reasons that premarital sex probably developed as a cultural taboo was because of the concerns that come with conceiving and raising a child without a partner.  Extended breast-feeding was popular among women who had already conceived because women are less likely to ovulate while breast-feeding, and extended breast-feeding could extend the period of time between children.  Withdrawal, which involved the man withdrawing before climax, was another historical method and, when used consistently, it enjoyed the highest success rate of any historical method of birth control.  Women employed a variety of types of cervical caps, which were placed over the cervix as a barrier method to prevent sperm from entering the uterus.  Women have used a variety of different substances to either prevent or terminate pregnancies, with varying degrees of success.  “Perhaps one of the most famous ancient forms of birth control was the silphium plant, native to North Africa.  This plant was used as a contraceptive and was incredibly popular in ancient Greece and Rome” (Pandia Health, Inc., 2020).  The use of condoms can be traced all the way back to King Minos, and condoms were originally created from animal skins or bladders, but their efficacy in preventing pregnancy increased dramatically with the vulcanization of rubber and the invention of rubber condoms in the mid-1850s (Khan, et al., 2013).  

Modern birth control 

Natural methods remain part of the effort to prevent pregnancy for many people.  Abstinence is probably the best known method of preventing pregnancy and it is 100% effective.  However, many people who plan to practice abstinence fail to do so and when they do decide to have sex they do not employ other birth control methods.  The result is that, in practice, abstinence-only sex education programs lead to an increase in unwanted pregnancies among teens (Guttmacher Institute, 2020). Extended breast feeding as a method of birth control is still popular, but is only really effective for the first six-months post-partum and if a mother is exclusively breast-feeding.  In addition, a woman will begin ovulating before her first period, which can result in a pregnancy before any physical warning signs that she is able to conceives.  The rhythm method involves tracking menstrual history and ovulation in order to predict the days when sex is least likely to result in conception.  For women with predictable menstrual cycles who chart their cycles and refrain from sex during fertile periods, it can be effective, but it results in pregnancy in about 24% of couples who are using it in the first year of its use (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018).  The withdrawal method has a higher success rate, only resulting in pregnancy for about 14% of couples who are relying on withdrawal, alone, as a pregnancy prevention method (Stoppler, 2020).  Even when all of the natural family planning methods are combined, there remains a substantial risk of unintended pregnancy.  

Barrier methods to prevent pregnancy remain popular.  Barrier methods refer to anything that places a barrier between the sperm and the egg, with the goal of either physically blocking sperm from reaching the egg or killing sperm cells before they can fertilize the egg.  Cervical caps, cervical shields, rings, diaphragms, condoms, and contraceptive sponges are all examples of barrier methods for pregnancy.  Barrier methods generally have fewer risks of side effects than hormonal birth control, when used correctly, and may also offer some protection against some sexually transmitted infections.  However, some of them can increase the risk of urinary tract infections and toxic shock syndrome.  In addition, barrier methods must be used every time a woman has intercourse, and failure to use them consistently contributes to real-life failure rates.  Pregnancy rates for barrier methods of birth control vary on the type of method used, but range from 12% for the diaphragm to 28% for spermicide-alone (USDHHS, 2011).  

Some types of birth control are hormonal and are designed to prevent ovulation.  The most commonly of these types of birth control is the birth control pill, but there are other types of hormonal birth control as well, including hormonal patches, birth control implants, and the vaginal ring.  Other types of hormonal birth control are designed to prevent implantation.  The most common of these is the morning-after pill, which is designed to prevent implantation of an egg that may have been fertilized because of unprotected sex or a birth control failure.  Many types of birth control that are designed to prevent ovulation will also prevent implantation.  The non-hormonal option is the intrauterine device (IUD), which is a metal implant in the uterus that may also include hormones.  Hormonal birth control rates are highly effective when used properly, with real life pregnancy rates as low as .05% for implants, less than .1% for IUDs, and around 9% for the pill, the patch, or the ring (USDHSS, 2011).  Many of the failure rates are attributable to improper usage and the efficacy rates of these forms of birth control increases significantly when used properly. 

For people who are either determined not to bear children or are finished with their child-rearing years, surgical sterilization may be the most reliable form of birth control.  Male sterilization, also known as a vasectomy, has a pregnancy rate of only .15% (USDHSS, 2011).  Female sterilization, also known as tubal ligation, has a pregnancy rate of only .5% (USDHSS,2011), though the rate of unintended pregnancies drops to zero if the tubal ligation is accompanied by a hysterectomy.  

Obtaining birth control depends on what type of birth control is desired, as well as a person’s location and age.  For most barrier types of birth control, purchasing it is as easy as selecting the method from the family planning aisle at the local drugstore.  However, products may be kept on locked shelves in high-theft areas.  Some areas may make it more difficult to get access to those products and require you to go to the pharmacist to obtain them, and in some states pharmacists have the right to refuse to sell birth control products to people based on their religious beliefs.  Most barrier methods are still widely available via online retailers.  For diaphragms, IUDs, surgical sterilization, and most hormonal birth control methods, people need to see a doctor either for a procedure or for a prescription.  However, there are some online services offering virtual exams and prescriptions for hormonal birth control pills in people without risk factors. 

Conclusion

Although the unintended pregnancy rate in much of the developed world is still higher than it needs to be, there are actually a number of highly effective ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy.  Some of them can be accessed through local drugstores or online retailers, though some require a doctor’s care and a prescription.  They offer varying means of success, but are generally more successful than all natural pregnancy prevention methods or the historical methods of birth control that people once used.  This makes them an effective means to help people delay or prevent pregnancy, regardless of their motivation to do so.