Hesperian Health Guides
Choosing a family planning method
Every day 20,000 people visit the HealthWiki for lifesaving health information. A gift of just $5 helps make this possible!
Make a giftMake a gift to support this essential health information people depend on.
HealthWiki > Where Women Have No Doctor > Chapter 13: Family Planning > Choosing a Family Planning Method
Once you have decided to use family planning, you must choose a method. To make a good decision you must first learn about the different methods, and their advantages and disadvantages.
There are 5 main types of family planning methods:
- Barrier methods, which prevent pregnancy by keeping the sperm from reaching the egg.
- Hormonal methods, which prevent the woman’s ovary from releasing an egg, make it harder for the sperm to reach the egg, and keep the lining of the womb from supporting a pregnancy.
- IUDs, which prevent the man’s sperm from fertilizing the woman’s egg.
- Natural methods, which help a woman know when she is fertile, so that she can avoid having sex at that time.
- Permanent methods. These are operations which make it impossible for a man or a woman to have any children.
These methods of family planning are described on the following pages. As you read about each method, here are some questions you may want to consider:
- How well does it prevent pregnancy (its effectiveness)?
- How well does it protect against STIs, if at all?
- How safe is it? If you have any of the health problems mentioned in this chapter, you may need to avoid some types of family planning methods.
- How easy is it to use?
- Is your partner willing to use family planning?
- What are your personal needs and concerns? For example, do you have all the children you want, or are you breastfeeding your baby?
- How much does the method cost?
- Is it easy to get? Will you need to visit a health center often?
- Will the side effects (the problems the method may cause) create difficulties for you?
After reading about these methods, you can get more help with choosing one. It may also help to talk with your partner, other women, or a health worker about different methods.
Only you can decide which family planning method is right for you.
FAMILY PLANNING METHOD |
Protection from Pregnancy | Protection from STIs | Possible Side Effects | Other Important Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Condom for men |
★★ Good |  |
Most effective when used with spermicide and water-based lubricant. Use with other methods to prevent STIs. | |
Condom for women |
★★ Good | |
||
Diaphragm (with spermicide) |
★★ Good |  |
Most effective when used with spermicide. Effective only when using the correct size. | |
Spermicide |
★ Some |  |
 Skin allergy |
More effective when used with another barrier method like diaphragm or condom. |
| Hormonal Methods Birth control pill, patch, injections  |
★★★
VERY GOOD |
|
 Nausea, headaches, changes in monthly bleeding |
These methods may be dangerous for women with certain health problems. |
IUD |
★★★★ BEST | |
heavy and painful monthly bleeding |
This method may be dangerous for women with certain health problems. |
| Sex without intercourse (penis not inside vagina at all) | ★★★★ BEST | |
Sexual touch rarely passes STIs. Oral sex is less likely to pass STIs. Anal sex easily passes STIs. | |
Breastfeeding (during the first 6 months only) |
★★★ VERY GOOD | |
To be effective, a woman must give her baby only breast milk, and her monthly bleeding must not have returned. | |
Fertility awareness |
★★ GOOD | |
A woman must understand when she is fertile and be able to choose when to have sex with intercourse. | |
Sterilization  |
★★★★ BEST | |
A woman or a man will never be able to have babies after this operation. | |
Pulling out (Withdrawal) |
★ SOME | |
More effective when used with another method like spermicide or diaphragm. |
