10 Myths About Contraceptive Methods

When it comes to choosing the best contraceptive methods, you should not be influenced by the opinions of acquaintances, even more so by myths.

You need competent medical advice and, of course, accurate information to help you form some ideas first. Here's what you need to know about contraceptive options!

 Myth #1: Birth control pills make you fat

Partly true. The worry of gaining weight as a side effect of birth control pills is one of the biggest fears of women who use such a method of contraception. However, the problem must be put differently.

Why is this myth partially true? Half the truth is that birth control pills can make you fat.

What makes this myth half-false is the reason why the pills make you fat, namely the diet and lifestyle of the one who uses the pills.

The pills themselves do not cause weight gain, but only stimulate the appetite so fattening is just the effect of a poor diet and an unhealthy lifestyle without sports.

If you combine birth control pills with a balanced diet and daily exercise, you will not gain any extra pounds!

Ideally, you should not take contraceptives without consulting a specialist who will recommend a certain type of pill after having a series of tests.

Myth #2: If you take birth control pills for a long time, you get sick and you don't even get pregnant.

Fake. A break in taking birth control pills can be auspicious if you suffer from cardiovascular disease, in which case you should give up the pills every few months, but not for a long time but for a maximum of 2 weeks.

If you give up pills for a long time, do not forget that pregnancy can set in at any time, so it would be best to use other methods of contraception during the break: condom, diaphragm or why not, sexual abstinence.

As for the influence of fertility on birth control pills, doctors want to make sure that you can get pregnant at any time shortly after giving up the pills.

Indeed, especially when you have been taking such pills for years, you will not be able to get pregnant immediately after giving them up, but this does not harm your fertility.

Women who cannot get pregnant after years of pills also suffer from endocrine disorders or reproductive disorders.

Most healthy women ovulate again 3–6 months after the end of the pill.

Myth #3: Birth control pills can cause breast cancer

True. Because breast cancer also occurs due to hormonal imbalance, many women worry that they may also suffer from breast cancer if they continue to use birth control pills. Unfortunately, this myth is almost entirely true.

According to the latest studies by the American Cancer Society, women who use birth control pills have a 25% higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who have never used such pills. The risk remains the same even if you give up the pills.

The good news is that pills reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer by 60%.

Myth # 4: You can't get pregnant if you have sex during menstruation

True. The ovaries can release an egg at any time during the menstrual cycle, so obviously not during menstruation. However, during menstruation it is preferable to use a condom because during this period the genital area is sensitive and prone to infections.

Take care! You can get pregnant at any time after menstruation. Remember that sperm live up to 6 days inside the vagina.

Myth #5: Breastfeeding is a method of contraception

Partly true. It is true that breastfeeding stops ovulation for a certain period of time, but it is not a safe method of contraception nor is it guaranteed by doctors.

Continuous breastfeeding can cause so-called lactation amenorrhea (you do not menstruate) but only for a maximum of 6 months after birth, but even so, there is a minimal but existing risk of getting pregnant again.

If you are breastfeeding it is best to talk to your doctor about an effective method of contraception that does not transmit substances through milk to your baby. It seems that the safest, in this case, remains the whole condom.

Myth # 6: Washing your vaginal area right after you have sex reduces your risk of getting pregnant

Fake. Vaginal douching is the process by which you wash your vagina. Women are mistaken in believing that this procedure can remove sperm from the vagina, when in fact the water jet does nothing but push some of the sperm to the cervix, favoring infections and thus the possibility of getting pregnant.

In addition, frequent vaginal douches can irritate the walls of the vagina, eliminating the bacteria and beneficial vaginal flora along with the bacteria.

Myth #7: Contraceptive methods protect you from STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)

Partly true. When you have an active sex life, you need to consider two things: avoiding unwanted pregnancy and protection against STDs.

Not all methods of contraception provide protection against the transmission of infections, and hormonal contraceptives, such as pills, provide protection.

The only method of contraception that protects you from STDs is the barrier type: like a condom.

Myth #8: IUDs favor bleeding and infections

Partly true. If you have not given birth yet, the IUD can cause cramps and bleed, because the uterus has not had to expand so far to receive a foreign body and, as such, the first reaction will be to push it out.

In addition, if you are not yet in a stable relationship, having sex with multiple men over a period of time can "give" you gonorrhea, chlamydia, or trichomoniasis, which can lead to pelvic infections and infertility. The downside is that having an IUD in such a situation worsens the symptoms.

However, if you have already given birth, the IUD will not bother you or cause you to bleed. And if you are already married or in a stable relationship, the risk of "getting" an infection is low.

Myth # 9: You can get pregnant if you use the IUD

Fake. The IUD is designed to block the egg from reaching the fallopian tubes and fertilizing it.

No matter what type of IUD you use (copper or hormone-based), the protection against pregnancy is 99%. That remaining 1% is due to the rare accidents that consist of breaking or moving the IUD so that it no longer provides maximum protection.

Myth #10: The calendar method does not fail

Partly true. According to the calendar method, if the woman keeps track of her periods, she can know exactly when the ovulation is taking place, so when she is fertile and thus can control the sex periods so that she does not get pregnant.

In 65% of the cases in which the calendar method was used, a pregnancy occurred.

The calendar method is safe only for women who have been menstruating regularly for years.

These cases are rare because 80% of women worldwide have suffered or will suffer at least once in their life from a vaginal infection or a hormonal disorder, which will change their period and onset. Especially in a relationship that has only recently begun, the condom remains the safest method of contraception.

When you want to choose the best method of contraception that suits your body and your needs, talk to your doctor and read information from reliable sources.

When it comes to your health, you don't have to compromise on quality: both the quality of the information and the quality of the products used.