Birth Control Should Canadian Women Be Afraid Of Essays - Health

Birth Control: Should Canadian Women Be Afraid Of Taking Contraceptives ? Student Name CS 007 N ancy B aker December 06, 201 5 Birth Control: Should Canadian Women Be Afraid of Taking Contraceptives ? Canadian women often make the mistake of choosing not to take birth control. Without proper knowledge or research, it can be dangerous not to partake in a form of contraception. " Anyone who is sexually active risks exposure to a sexually transmitted infectio n to some degree " ( Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research , 2012, para. 10 ). "Everyone needs access to birth control. It is, first, a matter of public health, in that unsafe and i rresponsible sex affects us all " (Gordon, 2012, p. 60) . TA \l "(Gordon, 2012, p. 60)" \s "(Gordon, 2012, p. 60)" \c 1 It is the right of women to protect their bodies and futures with the best possible form of contracep tion medical technology allows, and all women must know their options, their benefits, and their potential negative effects . Contraception is "the deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation by any of various drugs, techn iques, or devices " ( "Contraception," 2012 , p.1 ) . Ther e are many selections from which to choose: abstinence , natural family planning, sterilization, barrier methods, and hormonal methods. Although there are a variety of options, every individual should consult his or her doctor before starting a method (Fisher, 2007 ) . A bstinence is when people refrain from sexual activity ( "Abstinence , " 2012). If they can do it completely, and consistently , it is the most effective form of birth control. Unfortunately, about half of pregnancies are unp lanned ( Pancham , Dunn, 2007 ). Likewise , natural family planning , which includes rhythm, basal body temperature, and cervical mucus methods, rely on the individual's ability to prepare and plan. Even though people have good intentions, abstaining and natural family planning are unreliable choices because people are whimsical being s likely to make bad decisions in the heat of the moment. Other options will involve a trip or two to the doctor . The most permanent option is s terilization. Sterilization is a surgical procedure that means to close or block the fallopian t u bes in female s . This is called a v asectomy when referring to the male vasa differentia. Sterilization is quite effective, 98% of people who choose this method will not get pregnant (Planned Parenthood, 2012). However, th ere are many things to consider: surgery, possible erectile dysfunctions, possible hormonal dysfunctions , and future biological children . Because this is a surgical procedure, people have to worry about the lasting results: chronic pain, inability to have an erection, or loss of sexual desire ; they also n eed to know, like with any surgery, there is recovery time and risks of infections. Some people even have had to return for a repeat procedure because of incompetency in the physician , or the body rejects the intrusion and heals it self (Planned Parenthood, 2012). Even though in some cases sterilization can be reversible, they need be 100% sure they never want biological children. The future is so unpredictable, it takes a very decisive pe ople to know exactly what t he y want twenty years from now. Thankfully, for the majority of women , other options are available. Barrier methods are devices that physically prevent the sperm from reaching the egg, such as male and female condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps and sponges. The effectiveness in preventing pregnancy can be as low as 80% when used perfectly, although the use of spermicide, a sperm killing substance, can increase ef fectiveness (Fisher, 2007 ). These are good choices for people who are not expecting sexual contac t regularly, yet one of the biggest concerns for these methods is proper use. If these methods are not used correctly, they can run the risk of not only pregnancy but also an STI (sexually transmitted infection). "It's possible to contract sexually transmitted diseases from people who seem perfectly healthy people who, in fact, aren't even aware of being infected. Many of the infections transmitted through