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All About Contraception: Birth Control Methods You Didn’t Know About

Written By: Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin
July 12, 2021

Highlights

  • Birth control or contraception is a method, medicine, or device used to prevent pregnancy.
  • One can choose from many different types of birth control methods but this choice should also be made depending on what works best for your body as some may work better than others at avoiding conception.
  • Different types of birth control options available.
  • Full Read
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Since July 11 was World Population Day, we thought it is best if along with all the Gyan on why we need to control the population or how important population management is, we also spoke about basic contraception or birth control methods that everyone should know about to avoid unwanted pregnancies and conceptions.

What is birth control?

Birth control or contraception is a method, medicine, or device used to prevent pregnancy. One can choose from many different types of birth control methods but this choice should also be made depending on what works best for your body as some may work better than others at avoiding conception. Choice factors also include cost, effectiveness, availability, protection from STIs, certain health conditions, long-term vs short-term protection, and personal beliefs.

Types of contraception/ birth control methods

  • Natural Methods,
  • Long-acting reversible contraception
  • Short-acting barrier contraception
  • Barrier Methods,
  • Emergency Contraception,
  • Permanent Methods (Sterilization). 
contraception birth control methods

Let’s look at each one of these along with their cons.

Natural method

Pull out or withdrawal method: This withdrawal method requires the partner with a penis to pull out of the vagina before they ejaculate/orgasm. This requires that the person be able to practice self-control and be in tune with their body, making this a risky and unreliable method of contraception, especially considering that it’s not just cum, but pre-cum as well, that contains sperm. 

Cons: While pulling out is slightly more effective than not using any method at all, there still is a high risk of pregnancy since it requires the partner with a penis to be very aware and in control of them during sex in order to pull out on time. Pre-cum also contains sperm and could lead to pregnancy even if the person pulled out before ejaculation. 

Calender method:

This method is based on tracking the ovulation for the person with ovaries by identifying the most fertile days of the month when the chance is high to get pregnant (fertile). This is often based on basal body temperature, cervical mucus or is tracked around the 10th to 14th day of a normal 28-day menstrual cycle. To avoid getting pregnant, sex should be avoided these days or use a barrier method of birth control. An ovulation testing kit or fertility kit monitor can also help in determining if ovulation is taking place. Now there are many accessible phone applications that help you track your periods and provide insight on your most fertile days (in case you are trying to get or not get pregnant). Infano’s app is a great choice to track periods and fertility dates.

Cons: Though this is a contraception method with zero cost, this method requires careful tracking of a person’s menstrual cycle to determine their fertile days and is accurate only if the person has a very regular cycle. This method has low effectiveness and does not work for an irregular menstrual cycle. 

Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)

These are birth control your doctor inserts one time and you do not have to remember to use birth control every day or month. LARCs can last for 3 to 10 years, depending on the method. This includes an intrauterine device or IUD like Copper Intrauterine Device (copper T) also known as a non-hormonal, non-barrier method.

 Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine Devices (LNG-IUDs) are

Cons: It does not protect against STIs and periods may become heavier and longer

Other types of hormonal implants are inserted by a professional in the fatty part of your arm and can stay for years. It can be removed at any time at your convenience by a professional tool and is a good long-term hormonal solution.

Short-acting hormonal methods 

These are birth control that needs to be taken take every day or month. This includes hormonal pills, mini-pills, patches, which can be stuck on different parts of your body, shot or injection referred to as Depo-Provera is administered by a professional every 3 months, vaginal ring inserted in the vagina for 3 weeks at a time, and can then be reinserted.

Barrier methods

Condoms: External condoms are usually made out of latex, external condoms are made to be placed on a penis to prevent bodily fluids from being exchanged between sexual partners. Internal condoms are made out of polyurethane and are inserted into the vagina.

These are also the only methods to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and only need to be used during sexual intercourse. There are no side effects and are available in pharmacies or stores over the counter.

 The diaphragm can be inserted into your vagina by you or your doctor. It acts as a physical barrier preventing sperms from getting in and can be accompanied by spermicides to increase its efficiency.

Cervical cap is similar to the diaphragm but blocks the cervical opening to prevent sperm from coming in. It can also be accompanied by spermicides. It needs to be fitted by a doctor first.

Cons: Can sometimes slip off or break if not used properly (make sure to use water-based lubricants if using latex condoms). Some people are allergic to latex (non-latex condoms are available but might be harder to find)

Emergency Contraception

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “emergency contraception (EC) refers to methods of contraception that can be used to prevent pregnancy after sexual intercourse”.
The copper IUD can also serve as an emergency contraception method if it is inserted within the first 7 days after the unprotected sex occurs.

I-pills are recommended for use within 5 days but are more effective the sooner they are used after the act of intercourse. These can be taken after unprotected sex or missing the oral contraceptive pills doses. 

Cons: The side effects of taking emergency contraceptive pills are similar to those of oral contraceptive pills. That includes nausea, vomiting, slight irregular vaginal bleeding, and fatigue. These effects are only temporary and should subside once the effect of the EC pills wears off. Taking EC pills has no harmful effects on fertility.

Permanent birth control methods

These prevent pregnancy for the rest of life through surgery or a medical procedure. These include female tubal ligation or occlusion, male vasectomy.

Tubal ligation involves cutting, sealing, or blocking the fallopian tubes which allow the egg to move from the ovaries to the uterus. People who get this procedure done still ovulate and get periods. It is irreversible as a method, so one must be sure they do not want biological children before taking such a step.

Vasectomy involves the cutting or sealing of the vas deferens which are the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to the penis. It is often a reversible method and takes around 20 minutes to perform as it is not invasive. Culturally, however, many men refuse to undergo this procedure believing it has an impact on their manhood.

The type of birth control chosen should depend largely on the health of the individual, desire to have children now or in the future, and to also prevent sexually transmitted infections. If this seems like a difficult choice to make or decide, it is best to consult a doctor.

Sources: womenshealth.gov, theaproject.org

birth controlcontraceptionpregnancysexstd

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin has done her masters in Journalism & Communication and has worked as a senior journalist, editor and columnist for leading publications like The Logical Indian, Deccan Chronicle, Worldwide Media Corporation, The Bridge and Provoke.
With Infano, she hopes to create more awareness about women’s health issues. Suffering with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, she has also been advocating for its awareness through media.

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These Yoginis Are Redefining Fitness On International Yoga Day

Written By: Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin
June 21, 2021 | 09:00 AM |
2,008

Highlights

  • It’s International Yoga Day, and the theme this year is ‘Yoga For Wellness’, which focuses on practicing Yoga for physical and mental well-being.
  • The International Day of yoga has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.
  • Here are some yoginis who have truly made the art not only a part of their everyday wellbeing, but a way of life and also a profession.
  • Full Read
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It’s International Yoga Day, and the theme this year is ‘Yoga For Wellness’, which focuses on practicing Yoga for physical and mental well-being. The International Yoga Day has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. While our social media feeds are inundated with the benefits of yoga and celebrities trying different asanas, let us spare you that this Yoga day, and bring to you a list of yoginis who have truly made the art not only a part of their everyday well-being but a way of life and also a profession.

Fharzana Siraj, Chennai

Msc (yoga therapy), Iyengar yoga

fharzana siraj

Fharzana is an Iyengar yoga therapist and later got her education from various lineages of Yoga. A Ph.D. Scholar (Yoga therapy), she is a holistic health coach, yoga therapist, acupuncturist and specialist in regenerative health care. She specializes in treating chronic musculoskeletal pain and lifestyle disorders with holistic health and wellness. She has been named as 1 of 16 most powerful yoginis by Hellomyyoga and is among one of the top 50 yogis.

Fharzana learnt Iyengar yoga, got certified by Guruji BKS Iyengar and armed with the sole purpose of treating people in pain, went back to college. She did her master’s in Yoga therapy and MD in Acupuncture. Trained under modern medical physicians to understand evidence-based medical approaches, in 2O13, she started her clinic Orange Ray which has all alternative medicine under one roof. She is a multi-linguist and winner of many National and International awards, she has been a resource person for AYUSH and represented India in many international conferences in Yoga therapy. “Currently into research, I am a Ph.D. scholar. From a mindset of why me, I have come to believe that the light only comes in from the cracks”, says Fharzana.

Instagram orangerayofficial

Sakina Mohammed, Coimbatore

Yoga Alliance International Certified Trainer (200 hours)

saks yoga sakina

Sakina is trained and mentored by Yoga Gurus Yogi Santosh and Yogi Anita. Being a mother of two and managing day-to-day house routines, like most housewives, she too was looking for an avenue to get into fitness which was enjoyable as well. After trying and pursuing a lot of physical fitness activities like gymming (including strength training, etc.) she finally had a chance to try and start yoga.

“Having done intensive gym training coupled with the knowledge I acquired of yoga over the recent years along with an application-oriented mindset has helped me etch a somewhat singular position in the field of yoga cum strength training classes/workshops”, says Sakina. Yoga has given her strength and peace not just physically, but mentally as well. She lives by the simple motto “Becoming Better Every day.”

Instagram saksyoga

Chandrayee Chattopadhyay,  Kolkata

Ashtanga Yoga

Chandrayee Chattopadhyay

“I have been doing yoga since I was around five years old”, says Chandrayee. “It was mostly to complement my gymnastics ballet training. My mother enrolled me into it before I gained any sense of it. Since then it has become a habit”. This 25 year old is a marketer who loves to dance and travel through life. She has been exploring herself through the art of dance and yoga.

Instagram chandrayeechattopadhyay

Divya Srinivasan, Chennai

Hatha yoga

divya srinivasan

Divya Srinivasan has been practising yoga since 18 years now. “It was purely by accident that I attended a yoga class and after I understood the purity of the practice and its potential to bring about healing”, says Divya. Divya has worked with over 3000 students internationally including Bollywood celebrities. She is also a Tarot Reader, and a distance healer. “I believe in holistic healing and living practices. I have faith in the interconnections of life, people, animals, plants and nature”.

Instagram sacredspaceswithdivya

Tasneem Vadnagarwala, Hyderabad

RYT 200, Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Power and Yin yoga

Tasneem Vadnagarwala yoga moure
Source Eenadu

Tasneem has been Practicing yoga as a student since she was 14 years old but started teaching four years back. “When I was 19 years old, my menstrual cycle was erratic”, says Tasneem. “I would get my period once in 3 or 4 months. This is when I took yoga seriously and started practicing regularly. And I fell in love with yoga ever since. I have always been a high school teacher but I knew somewhere I also wanted to take up yoga seriously and that’s when I decided to take up a teacher training course to deepen my knowledge and practice”.

As a mother of a toddler, she finds yoga as her creative outlet which helps her explore herself while helping her keep her mind and body fit. She coaches both adults and kids alike and her classes are much sought after. An avid reader, Tasneem also loves to cook, But on her life journey, she found yoga as her calling. “I felt lost as a person after my child was born, I went through postpartum depression. But getting back to yoga gave me a new purpose and became my vocation. I realized this is something I can still do with my toddler around”, says Tasneem. “Motherhood is a full-time job but it is very important for every woman not to make it their only identity.”. She goes by the motto, “Move the body, still the mind”.

Instagram yogamoure

Ruchi Gupta (Radha), Chennai

Hatha yoga & Ashtanga Yoga professional

ruchi raj yoga

Ruchi has done her training in hatha yoga from Asana Andiappan College of Yoga & Research Centre, Chennai. She later did her advanced course from International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta, Kerela. A model and a fashion blogger by profession, Ruchi learnt aerial yoga from Anaahat Yog in Rishikesh. Ruchi believes fitness is just not about how you look from the outside it is more about how you are from the inside, it is the harmony of yourself with others, with your mental health, the kinda vibe you give or your aura as they call it.
“I have always prioritized fitness, and my relationship with it has been a long one”, says Ruchi. “Being fit doesn’t require you to spend large sums of money. What it requires is mainly a disciplined lifestyle. For a brief period, I was a hardcore gym person, but once I hit my 30s I started to realise that gymming just made a difference in my external appearance, but never really made a difference internally … in fact, hitting the gym had adverse effects on my body, I started getting stiffer as well as started affecting my mental health, I would get angry fast. So that’s when yoga walked in. This decision of mine I can say changed my whole idea about fitness as a whole!”

Instagram ruchirajyoga




fitnessinternational yoga dayYogayoginis

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin has done her masters in Journalism & Communication and has worked as a senior journalist, editor and columnist for leading publications like The Logical Indian, Deccan Chronicle, Worldwide Media Corporation, The Bridge and Provoke.
With Infano, she hopes to create more awareness about women’s health issues. Suffering with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, she has also been advocating for its awareness through media.

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