Controlling Fertility

Question 1

Apart from barriers, what other forms of contraception are there?

Answer 1

Hormones can be used to reduce fertility.

Question 2

How can Oestrogen be used to reduce fertility?

Answer 2

Can be used to prevent the release of an egg - so it can be used as a method of contraception.
If oestrogen is taken every day to keep the level of it permanently high, it inhibits the production of FSH, and after a while, egg development and production stop and stay stopped.

Question 3

How can Progesterone be used to reduce fertility?

Answer 3

E.g. by stimulation the production of thick mucus which prevents any sperm betting through and reaching an egg.

Question 4

How can the pill be used to reduce fertility?

Answer 4

The pill is an oral contraceptive containing oestrogen and progesterone (known as the combined oral contraceptive pill)
It’s over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy, but it can cause side effects like headaches and nausea and it doesn’t protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

Question 5

Compare the progesterone-only pill to the pill.

Answer 5

Progesterone-only pill has fewer side effects than the pill and is just as effective.

Question 6

What are other methods of contraception that use hormones apart from oestrogen and progesterone?

Answer 6

• The contraceptive patch contains oestrogen and progesterone (the same as the combined pill). It’s a small (5 cm x 5 cm) patch that’s stuck to the skin. Each patch lasts one week.
• The contraceptive implant is inserted under the skin of the arm. It releases a continuous amount of progesterone, which stops the ovaries releasing eggs, makes it hard for sperm to swim to the egg, and stops any fertilising egg implanting in the uterus. An implant can last for three years.
• The contraceptive injection also contains progesterone. Each dose lasts 2 to 3 months.
• An intrauterine device (UID) is a T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus to kill sperm and prevent implantation of a fertilised egg. There are two main types - plastic IUDs that release progesterone and copper IUDs that prevent the sperm from surviving the uterus.

Question 7

What are the barrier methods of contraception? (designed to stop the sperm from getting into the egg).

Answer 7

• Condoms are worn over the penis during intercourse to prevent the sperm from getting to the egg. There are also female condoms that are worn inside the vagina. Condoms are the only form of contraception that will protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
• A diaphragm is a shallow plastic cup that fits over the cervix (the entrance to the uterus) to form a barrier. It has to be used with spermicide (a substance that disables or kills the sperm).
• Spermicide can be used alone as a form of contraception, but it is not as effective (only about 70-80%).

Question 8

What are more drastic ways to avoid pregnancy?

Answer 8

Sterilisation - involves cutting or tying the fallopian tubes (which connect the ovaries to the uterus) in a female, or the sperm duct (the tube between the testes and penis) in a male. This is a permanent procedure. However, there is a very small chance that the tubes can rejoin.
“Natural” Methods - Pregnancy may be avoided by finding out when in the menstrual cycle the woman is most fertile and avoiding sexual intercourse on those days. It’s popular with people who think that hormonal and barrier methods are unnatural, but it’s not very effective.
Abstinence - The only way to be completely sure that sperm and egg don’t meet is to not have intercourse.