Which method of contraception is right for you?

Most women, when they first give birth, are rarely ready to conceive a second baby. However, if you do not equip yourself with knowledge of postpartum contraception, you may experience "ruptured family planning". So, knowing the safe and effective postpartum birth control methods will help you avoid unwanted pregnancy.

In order to take good care of their children, besides learning how to raise children, parents also need a reasonable birth plan. At that time, you will probably need contraception that is right for you, especially after the baby is born. aFamilyToday Health will introduce some other notes about contraceptive methods so you can choose one according to your desires and plans.

When should you use birth control after giving birth?

This depends on how you are raising the baby. At birth, instead of feeding your baby with formula or a combination of breast milk and formula, your period will soon return in about 6 weeks to 3 months. If you have sex after giving birth , you could be pregnant for two weeks before your period comes knocking on your door. So, as a precaution, you can use birth control after 3 to 4 weeks after your baby is born.

The period of breastfeeding only and not yet beginning to breastfeed or drink formula is when you are less likely to become pregnant. When you feed your baby more and more, the amount of hormones stimulating the production of milk increases, thereby blocking the action of the hormone that causes ovulation. However, if you reduce the number of times or stop breastfeeding completely, your period will return and the probability of you becoming pregnant in this case is very high. In general, the possibility of pregnancy during this period is still possible. Therefore, the use of contraceptive methods after giving birth is always necessary to ensure you avoid an unplanned pregnancy.

How many methods of contraception after giving birth?

Here are the safe postpartum contraception to help you use it with peace of mind.

Breastfeeding

Is breastfeeding a method of contraception after giving birth? As mentioned at the beginning of this article, breastfeeding can suppress the action of the hormone that causes ovulation, resulting in delayed menstruation.

This method is called amenorrhea. If mothers regularly breastfeed their babies, they will achieve a contraceptive effect of 98% but must meet the following conditions:

Babies younger than 6 months old;

The menstrual cycle has not returned yet;

You feed your baby regularly at least 6 times a day. If you want this to be effective, don't leave a 4-hour day and 6-hour nighttime feedings.

In addition, to enhance the effectiveness of amenorrhea, you can stop giving your baby solid foods and other types of milk.

When the baby stops feeding, this method will be less effective. The more you use the milking machine, the more hormones that stimulate milk production decrease, which in turn leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of the hormone that triggers ovulation.

Condom

This is the easiest way to use birth control after giving birth because whether you are breast-feeding or not, you can use a condom . This is a female contraceptive that is placed inside the vagina and outside of the vulva. However, female condoms seem complicated, so they don't feel as comfortable as male condoms. If used correctly, this method will be effective at 98% for male condoms and 95% for female condoms.

One thing to note is that after your baby is born, your vagina may be a bit dry. Using a condom can make your husband and wife uncomfortable. However, use lubricants can make the "love" of both more comfortable. You can use the oil-free, water-soluble type to avoid affecting the quality of your condom.

Diaphragm of the vagina and uterine cap

You can use a diaphragm or a cap every time you have sex. You should choose a diaphragm and soft uterine cap, round dome made of rubber or silicone, suitable for your cervix.

However, to be sure, you can consult your doctor or nurse to find out which diaphragm you are suitable for, which of the uterus cap or when to use a new one. When used correctly and in combination with spermicide , it is up to 92% effective on the diaphragm of the vagina and 96% effective for the uterine cap.

Oral contraceptive pills

You can take a birth control pill that contains the progestogen component. This contraceptive is suitable for mothers who are breastfeeding because it does not affect lactation. With progestogen, breastmilk contains small amounts of the hormone progesterone, but it won't affect your baby. You can start taking it any time after giving birth. If you take it every day, you get 99% effective.

Oral contraceptive pills

This postpartum birth control method only works for a few weeks. The injectable contraceptive comes in two forms, depo-Provera® (works for 12 weeks) and Noristerat® (lasts for 8 weeks). After the injection, the drug releases progestogen into your body for several weeks.

You can also inject birth control pills at any time if you have bottle-fed your baby. However, if you are still breastfeeding, you should wait 6 weeks after the baby is born and then give the injection. A small amount of progesterone entering your baby's body won't affect your baby, but you are more likely to experience heavy bleeding and menorrhagia if you take the shot within the first few weeks of giving birth. This postpartum birth control method is growing in popularity because it is not only 99% effective, but also very simple to use. However, if you are planning to have your next baby, this method is not necessarily suitable for you because you need to stop the drug for a few months for your fertility to return to normal.

Contraceptive implants

This postpartum birth control method is effective for 3 years. A progestogen-based contraceptive implant is a small, thin plastic tube the size of a hair pin.

About 21 days after your baby is born, you can use a contraceptive implant. You can breastfeed normally as this method does not affect your breast milk supply.

This measure is made very simple. When you use this remedy, a qualified doctor will insert the implant into your arm. If you want to have a baby again or change another method of contraception, your doctor will remove the implant from your body with a local anesthetic and remove the skin that contains the pregnancy test under your arm.

The hormonal contraceptive ring (IUS)

The hormonal contraceptive ring (IUS) is constructed of a T-shaped plastic that matches the shape of your uterus. Once placed in your body, the IUD releases progesterone that will work for 5 years.

You can start using the IUD 4 weeks after your baby is born. However, you should consult your doctor or nurse for advice on whether this method is right for you.

Non-hormonal IUD (IUD)

A hormonal-free ring can help prevent you from getting pregnant for 5 to 10 years. You can start using this method anytime after you have a baby and usually 4 weeks after your baby is born. If you want to prevent pregnancy right after your baby is born, your doctor can help you insert a ring as soon as you remove the baby from the womb.

In addition to the above methods of contraception above, you need to note some other factors such as: inappropriate contraceptive methods, methods of emergency contraception and family planning.

What birth control should not be used after giving birth?

You should not use a combined hormonal birth control (estrogen and progestogen) for the first 6 months after birth, as it can decrease your milk production. For other contraceptive methods that do not contain estrogen, you can use it while you are breastfeeding. Accordingly, there are three methods of contraception after giving birth you should avoid including:

Birth control pills contain estrogen and progestogen;

Contraceptive patch on the skin;

The vaginal ring (the bendable ring that is placed high in the vagina).

Any postpartum birth control that contains the above combination hormone will be effective 4 weeks after you start using it. During this time, you may stop bleeding even though it is milder than your regular period. If you use emergency contraceptive pills , you will not be breast-feeding for the next 36 hours.

If you want to avoid long-term contraception, which method should you choose?

There are 4 long-term methods of contraception. In which, three methods include: injectable oral contraceptives, contraceptive implants and hormonal contraceptive rings (IUS) containing the component progestogen, which are methods that contain artificial hormone progesterone. The conventional IUD (IUD) does not contain hormonal hormones.

Besides, if you are absolutely certain that you do not want to have another baby, you or your husband can choose the method of sterilization. But these long-term birth control methods are just as effective as sterilization. However, they have the advantage that you are still able to become pregnant after stopping use. Furthermore, male sterilization will be more effective.

How well can family planning be done?

Once your period has returned and is normal, you can try natural family planning. With this method, you can determine the date of ovulation to avoid "getting involved" in these days.

To know when you are conceived, you will need to build a detailed daily body temperature chart: when you wake up or at least three hours after sleep. You also need to learn to monitor changes in vaginal mucus.

You can buy a digital thermometer to see when your body is most fertile. Besides, the fertility monitoring kit is also a good way to recognize fertility. However, before using the kit you need to go through three menstrual periods. Before starting this method, it's a good idea to get to know your fitness level carefully, especially if you have an irregular menstrual cycle or have problems with monthly periods. Outside of these cases, as long as you stick to it, natural family planning can be up to 99% effective.

What should you pay attention to when using emergency contraception after giving birth?

You can buy emergency contraceptive pills from pharmacies or medical facilities. The emergency contraceptive pill is a progestogen-containing medication that is used to delay ovulation and prevent an egg from fertilizing. Some emergency contraceptive pills include:

The morning after pill (such as Levonelle®) is a morning contraceptive pill that can last up to 72 hours (3 days) from the moment you have unprotected sex . You can still take this medicine if you are breast-feeding.

EllaOne® is an emergency contraceptive pill that can be taken up to 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected sex. However, this is a prescription drug from a doctor and is suitable for people 18 years of age and older.

The copper IUD is effective for up to 5 days after you have sex. However, this remedy is not as widely available as the emergency contraceptive pill and is recommended for 4 weeks or more after the baby is born.

Usually, about 6 weeks after your baby is born is the right time to start your birth control plan. If you have other questions, you can consult an obstetrician about contraception after giving birth.