There is not much choice when it comes to short videos about ‘guys bits’ and how they work but I found this one that is pretty clear.
There is also a short video on female reproductive organs on this site too so please check out the Reproductive organs category or the Videos in the sidebar.
This post follows on from an earlier one with more information about contraceptive IUD’s (intra uterine devices). An IUD is highly effective at preventing pregnancy and works by preventing fertilisation. Once inserted you can ‘forget it’ and your fertility status can easily be reversed by removing it.
IUD’s are recommended for cost effective, long term contraception and can be used by most women unless they have a history of cervical infections or genital cancer.
The newest form of IUD or IUS (intra uterine system) releases a progesterone like hormone called Levonorgestrel and is sold under the name Mirena (introduced in 2000 and believed to be more than 99% effective) Protection lasts for 5 years- maybe even longer and, unlike the copper IUD, this type of IUD does not have the potential to cause anaemia. The original copper IUD- known by the names: TCu-380A (most widely used) the Multiload ML375, and Nova-T380- is also highly effective and is preferred by some women as it does not contain hormones and therefore does not interfere with a woman’s natural hormone levels. Protection lasts for 5-10 years depending on type.
Questions first
You will be thoroughly checked by a doctor to make sure that you are a suitable ‘candidate’ for the insertion of an IUD and you should use this opportunity to ask lots of questions yourself, however silly they may appear. IUD’s do not travel around the body or interfere with your heart. IUD’s do not cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) if you don’t already have one.
If you have gonorrhea, chlamydia or purulent cervicitis it is not advisable to have an IUD inserted as you may be at risk of developing a PID within the first 20 days after insertion.
Insertion-takes 5- 10 minutes
Your doctor will insert your IUD into the top of your uterus through your vagina during the first 12 days of your menstrual cycle or at any time when he is certain that you are not pregnant. Some mild cramping may occur after insertion. To see a diagram of where the IUD is placed go here.
Careful insertion reduces the chances of the uterus contracting and expelling the IUD and also avoids perforation of the uterine muscle wall. If perforation does happen (rate fewer than 2 per 1000) it is usually obvious and the IUD is removed at once without serious damage occurring.
Can the IUD come out on its own?
Unlikely if it is inserted correctly -but 2-8 women per 100 expel their IUD’s in the first year and usually within 3 months of insertion. Some studies show that young women, aged 20-25 and women who have not had children account for several cases within this range.
Side effects
There is a slight chance of infection if the IUD is not inserted carefully/correctly. Serious complications with IUD’s are very rare.
Copper IUD -The main reason that stopped some women using the copper IUD was increased bleeding and cramping, in some cases up to 50% above ‘normal’ levels prior to IUD use. The new copper IUD’s only ‘moderately increase’ blood flow. Increased blood loss can lead to a decrease in iron levels and subsequently lead to anaemia in women who are already low in iron.
Hormone IUD -can eventually decrease bleeding due to the thinning of the uterine lining caused by the progestin hormone. After a year of having an IUD inserted 20- 35% of women have no bleeding at all. Side effects of hormone IUD’s occur in fewer than 5% of women, (hormone is released in the uterus and is not processed by the liver) are similar to those experienced with oral contraceptives such as acne or other skin problems, back pain, breast tenderness, headache, mood changes and nausea.
What if I get pregnant when I have an IUD fitted?
The chance of you getting pregnant with an IUD insertion is rare. If you do conceive you risk severe complications such as miscarriage so go to your doctor immediately if you suspect that you may be pregnant and if confirmed, he will remove the IUD.
Are there any cancer risks with IUD’s?
IUDs may reduce the risk of cancer of the uterus but read this report for yourself.
A final reminder: IUD’s do not protect against HIV/STD’s.
Sources: Salem, R. “New Attention
to the IUD:Expanding Women’s Contraceptive
Options To Meet Their Needs.” Population
Reports, Series B, No. 7. Baltimore, Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health,The INFO Project, February 2006.
If you are using an oral contraceptive pill, hormone injection, implants or an IUD (intra uterine device) for your method of birth control and have found some changes in your menstrual bleeding patterns, this useful patient handout may reassure you. It explains some of the ways in which different contraceptives can affect your menstrual cycle and when you should consult your doctor. Usually no action is needed but being informed often allays unnecessary fears.
Most menstrual bleeding changes while using contraceptives are to be expected and are not harmful.
The handout also explains about breakthrough bleeding or spotting between periods.
If you have concerns about your menstrual changes with your contraceptive, don’t
stop using it without talking to your clinician. Often nothing is needed but your health care provider can assess the situation and provide treatment if necessary. Some clinicians suggest using a menstrual diary or calendar to record menstrual changes so that you can have an objective record. The diary will help you remember what changes have occurred so you can tell your clinician.
If you need a reminder about where the menstrual bleeding comes from each month this video will explain.
People often confuse Emergency Contraception with Plan B. Plan B is a dedicated emergency contraception product – however, higher doses of oral contraceptives also act as emergency contraceptives. Pharmacies may not carry Plan B, but most carry oral contraceptives and may provide them as emergency contraceptives. In the unlikely situation that you may not be able to get to a pharmacy or your doctor for the ‘morning after pill’ within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, here is a list of emergency doses for a popular number of oral contraceptive pills available on line through this website.
The Food and Drug Administration has declared the following brands of oral contraceptives to be safe and effective for emergency contraception:
Ovral (1 dose is 2 white pills)
Alesse (1 dose is 5 pink pills)
Levlen or Nordette (1 dose is 2 light-orange pills)
Lo/Ovral (1 dose is 4 white pills)
Tri-Levlen or Triphasil (1 dose is 4 yellow pills)
Check with your doctor at once if you need emergency contraception and you are breastfeeding- even though there are no actual studies to prove that hormonal contraceptives damage a baby, please be cautious with ALL medications you take. Whatever you swallow is absorbed by your body and eventually passes through your milk and reaches your baby- do you really want your baby to have to cope with huge doses of hormones, alcohol or drugs? Your baby has no ’say’ in the matter so even though you find yourself stressed in this emergency situation please do not panic if you have to include bottle feeds for a while.
Your doctor will reassure you as to what to do next with your birth control regime and your baby will not die of malnourishment.
Precautions to take with the ‘morning after pill’
Just to be sure, it is wise to use an additional method of contraception to prevent pregnancy such as a condom and/or spermicide, especially when your period starts again. Some women find that when they take Plan B (emergency contraceptive) they get their period earlier or later than usual- this means that you are not quite certain when, during that particular cycle, you are at risk of getting pregnant! For the morning after pill to be effective it contains higher doses of hormones than the regular contraceptive pill and may cause noticeable side effects so it should NOT be used routinely.
Do not rely on breastfeeding for emergency contraception unless you fully understand all the criteria required (see separate article on breastfeeding and contraceptives)
Depending on how frequently and for how long you breastfeed a baby determines when your periods return and assume their ‘normal’ cycle. Your hormones swing around all over the place when you have a baby (”don’t I know it!” I hear you say?) so if you wish to continue with birth control after giving birth, take these precautions:
If your breast fed baby is now 6 months old, if you have recently reduced the number of feeds or the length of time you breastfeed your baby or have just introduced some bottle feeds, please take extra caution by using another, non hormonal type of contraceptive.
For further information watch this short video.
If you have multiple sexual partners don’t let them give you the gift of syphilis for Christmas! Unless you are absolutely certain of your partner’s medical history in this area , you should always insist on the use of condoms, even though an oral contraceptive or other method of birth control may be used as well.
A condom is the safest way of protecting yourself against sexually transmitted diseases so….. watch the little ‘cucumber’ video below( especially if sex is relatively new to you)
“Oh, Come on!” ” I can hear you say but please indulge me, better safe than sorry and it will give you a giggle (AND ease my conscience that I have left no rubber ‘unrolled’ in simplifying the useful information I promised to deliver on this site).
By the way, if you had any ‘accidents’ or unfortunate experiences with condoms that could serve as a warning to others, please feel free to leave a comment- but keep it ‘clean’. I think the best and most reliable (pardon the pun) site for buying condoms and other ‘goodies’ on line is this one.
If research funds hold out and we can hold our breath for another 4 or 5 years, two types of oral contraceptive pill for men and a sperm blocker may be coming our way. In America, approximately one third of the responsibility for contraception is taken by men using condoms or having vasectomies. For this figure to grow, other non-permanent methods of acceptable and safe birth control for use by males will have to be developed.
We have been told for years now that a male contraceptive will be on the market ’soon’. When one finally DOES appear on the market, there could be mixed reactions from women, not least issues of trust and maybe handing back the ‘power of control’ over when to conceive. You will still need a good supply of anti STD devices though so stock up here at a reliable site- they have other ‘goodies’ too.
Will women rely solely on her male partner to take responsibility for birth control (as HE will not be the one physically going through an unplanned pregnancy) or will she take extra precautions ‘just in case’?
“Some men are quite desperate for better control over their fertility,” said Kirsten Thompson, director of the International Male Contraception Coalition. “They’re looking for something they can really count on.” So are we gentlemen!
Two conferences on the “Future of Male Contraception” have been held so far in Seattle (sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization and others) and a number of possibilities for new male contraceptive options look like being viable, including, wait for it guys, a device for blocking sperm that is inserted into the vas deferens (is that a cringe I feel?).
The vas deferens is the ’sperm tube’ that is cut in a vasectomy (my ex had this done and if one sits on an ice bag immediately after the op it keeps the bruising down and recovery is quite quick)
The sperm blocker device currently being developed, is comprised of a set of removable plugs that have so far been tested on 90 men. The results of the plug insertion trial show “substantial equivalence to traditional vasectomy methods”. However, more research is now required to find out if normal fertility returns after the devices have been removed.
Could this be the makings of a new catchphrase ladies? “Show me your scars honey!”
The Oral Contraceptive Pill for women uses synthetic female hormones- a ‘testosterone-like’ pill for men that uses a drug called “selective androgen receptor modulator,” or SARM is presently being tested on humans for treating osteoporosis and muscle wasting, this drug, when taken orally, has also been found to reduce sperm count in rabbits.
A team @ Pittsburgh University has found that a non- hormonal compound known as CDB-4022 stops monkey sperm from swimming to their destination and importantly, within 16 weeks of stopping treatment, normal fertility returned. The chief factor of safety in the administration of this drug still needs to be tested though.
A new survey by the International Male Contraception Coalition found 61 percent of men would pick a non-hormonal drug over other contraceptive choices. I wonder if they asked these men if they were comfortable with us women taking a hormonal contraceptive pill?
If the latest studies are to be believed, more men are becoming interested in taking more responsibility for birth control. While it is doubtful that we shall reach a point where ALL men see that this responsibility should be shared equally with women, surely it is healthy and mature to keep abreast of the latest developments so that we are all in a better position (no pun intended) to discuss the type of contraceptive ‘arrangement’ that is win/win for both partners and successful family planning for the future?
Adjudin and the ‘dry orgasm’ pill for men (no ejaculate produced) may eventually be developed with very minor side effects.
To see the reactions of 10 men when asked about taking a male contraceptive pill watch this 2 min. video
If the video does not appear in 10 seconds CLICK HERE
You may think you know all there is to know about preventing pregnancy with the contraceptive practises you are currently following but just to be sure you DO- carry out a serious, yet light hearted check by watching this clever little animated video (if the video does not appear in 10 seconds CLICK HERE)
Then pat yourself on the back if you are doing everything correctly but warn your friends if you aren’t!
