You’re no rookie when it comes to birth control. You’ve carefully selected condoms, compared notes with friends about various brands of the Pill, and culled as much info as possible during the frantic 15 minutes a year you spend with your gynae.
Still, some aspects of protection leave you curious – maybe even a little worried. So we asked the top doctors in the contraception field to address our most common queries. Have a few more? Jot them down and hand ’em to your doc at the start of your appointment – because it sure is easy for a girl’s mind to go blank when faced with the business end of a speculum.
Q: I’m travelling for a month and don’t want to bother taking a pill. Can I switch to, say, the NuvaRing and go back to the Pill when I get home?
Yes. It’s fine to use a different method for a single month every once in a while, says Lee Shulman, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology. But you may notice an increase in cramping or mood swings if the new product contains a higher or lower dose of hormones, or a different progestin, than your usual method.
Just be sure to go back to your old birth control ASAP. The effectiveness of any contraceptive relates directly to how consistently you use it. Once a year isn’t a big deal, but hopping methods every other month will up your odds of getting pregnant.
Here’s how to make the switch: On the day you’d normally start a new pack of pills, insert the ring. Remove it three weeks later. Then, after another seven days, start your new pack of pills.
READ MORE: 6 Things You REALLY Need To Know About The ‘Morning-After’ Pill
Q: I’m flying to Madrid for a week. Do I have to take the Pill according to my home time zone?
It depends if you’re taking a “combination” or progestin-only pill. Combo pills contain oestrogen (a hormone that prevents ovaries from popping out eggs) plus progestin (a hormone that doubles your protection by thickening vaginal mucus, making it difficult for sperm to enter the cervix). Together they remain effective for 48 hours, so you have more leeway when it comes to time.
As long as you start taking one pill per day as soon as you arrive, you’ll be fine. (If a full 24 hours go by and you haven’t taken one, take two, then proceed as usual.) Progestin-only pills, on the other hand, remain effective for exactly 24 hours. So you must take one at the same time every day, even if that means interrupting your tour of the Museo del Prado or waking up in the middle of the night.
READ MORE: Exactly What To Do If You Forget To Take Your Birth Control Pill
Q: I want to get pregnant. Do I have to let the Pill, or any other hormonal birth control, clear out of my system?
No. You take the Pill every day for a reason: The small hormone doses disappear from your system quickly. On average, there’s only a one- to two-week delay in ovulation after stopping the Pill, so you could be pregnant within a month.
Why, then, do some docs recommend waiting a month after stopping the Pill? For logistical, not health, reasons. If you get pregnant before you’ve had a period, it’s harder for us to date the pregnancy.
READ MORE: 9 Struggles All Women Who Take The Pill Can Relate To
Q: What’s it like having an IUD put in?
First off, There are two approved intrauterine contraceptive methods available in South Africa: The Copper T- 380 Paragard Intrauterine Device (IUD) and the Levonorgestrel releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS), the Mirena.
These two long-term contraceptive methods are extremely effective in that once inserted there is nothing further to do to prevent pregnancy.
An IUD is a small device inserted into a woman’s uterine cavity to prevent pregnancy. Your gynae inserts a speculum and attaches an instrument called a tenaculum to the cervix to keep everything steady. Then she slides the tiny IUD through the cervix via a narrow tube. Once it’s in place, the top of the T-shaped IUD pops open. Most women feel a pinch (tell your doctor if you typically find pap smears painful; she’ll give you a local anaesthetic) and PMS-like cramping afterwards. Taking Advil or Motrin an hour before can help, Dr Cullins says. The whole procedure lasts less than five minutes, and the pain usually fades within an hour.
READ MORE: What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Taking The Pill
Q: I left my NuvaRing in the car on a 40-degree day. Will it work?
Don’t count on it. Extreme temps are bad for most meds – the Pill included – and condoms, too. A spokeswoman for Organon USA, NuvaRing’s manufacturer, says the rings “should be stored at 36 degrees or below.” If you have a prescription plan that supplies you with three months’ worth or more, store extras in your fridge.
READ MORE: Everything You Need To Know About The NuvaRing
Q: Is it true that the patch falls off easily?
No. Most patch users swear this Band-Aid-like birth control, which delivers a constant stream of oestrogen and progestin through your skin, withstands everything from triathlons to saunas. The patch comes in a three-pack: You put a new patch on each week for three weeks and take one week off. Even so, you should check it every day. On the rare occasion, an edge peels up and won’t firmly re-adhere, apply a new one right away.
READ MORE: Exactly How Each Form Of Birth Control Affects Your Period
Q: Besides vasectomy and condoms, what’s out there for him?
Nada. A male hormonal contraceptive is still five to 10 years away, experts guess. The problem is, men continuously make sperm – whereas women pop out only one egg per month. Also, early attempts at suppressing sperm production caused side effects like sexual dysfunction. And what guy wouldn’t rather use a condom than go limp?
Q: I’ve seen conflicting info about how long it takes for fertility to return once I stop getting Depo-Provera shots. What’s the deal?
On average, it takes about a year to get pregnant after going off Depo-Provera, an injectable progestin-only BC method. In fact, doctors say you could wait as long as 18 months. Why? Because Depo provides a high dose of hormones that lasts for 90 days (until the next shot) – which makes it appealing for women who don’t want kids anytime soon and prefer a low-maintenance method of contraception. But those high doses hang around in some women longer than others. The bottom line: If you want to delay pregnancy for only a few months, don’t do Depo.
Looking for more on contraception? This is what could happen to your body when you stop taking the Pill, plus here are 17 weird things that can totally mess with your fertility.
This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com
