“If you’re looking to avoid pregnancy, that means specifically avoiding vaginal sexual intercourse,” adds Gersh. “The most common definition is abstaining from sexual intercourse.” “Abstinence means something different to everyone,” Gersh says. The birds and the bees 101 says that for pregnancy to take place, a sperm has to meet an egg.īut that can’t happen if the sex acts that allow that to happen, don’t happen. There are ways to avoid getting pregnant that don’t involve taking, wearing, implanting, sticking, or blocking anything! Abstinence Share on Pinterest Illustration by Maya Chastain Medical procedures like vasectomy or tubal ligation change the body and ultimately prevent it from fertilizing or getting pregnant. They may stop the ovaries from releasing eggs, thicken the mucus around the cervix, or thin the lining of the uterus. The levels of hormones differ based on the contraceptive. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are another kind of hormonal birth control, although one form of IUD, the copper IUD, is nonhormonal.

These include the birth control pill, the shot (Depo-Provera), the ring, and the patch. Hormonal birth control methods are most often used on a regular basis. Some examples include external or internal condoms or spermicide. This means that you or your partner(s) are using something that goes into the body before sex to block sperm from fertilizing an egg. A barrier method typically means that you use contraception as needed. This method includes abstinence, outercourse, and fertility awareness. This may mean that birth control is something that you, and potentially your partner(s), do to actively avoid an unwanted pregnancy. For the most part, there are four different types of birth control methods: There are several types of contraception, which means many of them work differently.

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