What pills can you take to prevent pregnancy? Traditional methods of contraception after intimacy. What contraceptive measures can you use after unprotected sex?

How to avoid pregnancy if sexual intercourse occurs without using contraception? Is it possible to prevent conception? Yes, this is possible, and the success of the event will depend on what measures are taken and how quickly.

That's right

The most correct and effective option would be to use emergency contraception. Old-type drugs, but still sold today, contain a high concentration of the hormone. The same hormone that birth control pills contain, taken continuously (for regular contraception). These drugs have many side effects, including intermenstrual bleeding. Their risk is especially high if you take emergency contraception regularly. One of the most famous drugs with this effect is Postinor.
The new type of drugs have a different effect; they “suppress” the hormone progesterone. Due to this, pregnancy becomes impossible. However, this remedy cannot be taken on an ongoing basis. Although it has much fewer side effects. Such drugs include, for example, “Zhenale”.
Please note that emergency contraception is far from 100% effective. It is advisable to take the drug immediately; delay may reduce its effectiveness.

These are myths

Is it possible to avoid pregnancy in the first days using folk remedies and without consequences in the form of hormonal disruption that occurs after taking hormonal drugs? Unfortunately no. We will describe several methods that are used, and also explain why doing this is useless and sometimes harmful.

1. Urinate after intercourse. In general, this is an old recommendation for preventing sexually transmitted infections. And mainly for men. They use urine to wash away germs from the urethra. Well, what does this recommendation have to do with preventing unwanted pregnancy is a mystery. After all, sperm are already inside the vagina, and perhaps even in the cervix.

2. Douching with lemon water. An acidic environment is unfavorable for sperm, and they are washed out with the help of water. But not all. And lemon can be very harmful to the vaginal mucosa.

3. Using “chemical” contraception - suppositories, vaginal pills, cream after sex. Not exactly a folk remedy, but it does not affect hormonal levels in any way. True, it does not bring any benefit... This type of contraception is more or less effective only if used before sexual intercourse. After that there is no point.

If time is lost

But what to do, how to avoid unwanted pregnancy in the early stages and provoke the onset of menstruation? Many women drink ascorbic acid, eat lemons and parsley for this purpose. These drugs thin the blood and in high concentrations can cause bleeding, including uterine bleeding. On the other hand, such an amount of acid is a huge harm to the stomach.

Another method is medication, taking a hormone. But it can only help induce menstruation if there is no pregnancy. If a woman is pregnant, then this, on the contrary, will serve to prevent the threat of miscarriage. The fact is that a lack of progesterone is a common cause of delayed menstruation. And if there is a lack of progesterone during pregnancy, a miscarriage may occur.
When menstruation is delayed, doctors usually prescribe progesterone for 10 days - in tablets or injections (intramuscular), and after completing the course, a few days later, menstruation begins.

If pregnancy does occur

Early miscarriage can happen due to various reasons. Even severe physical fatigue. But you should not try to provoke an abortion on your own. This is dangerous for your health. And taking various drugs like tansy not only threatens severe uterine bleeding, but also causes developmental defects in the fetus. It happens that a woman drank tansy, but termination of pregnancy did not occur in the early stages. Meanwhile, the woman no longer wants an abortion. But leaving the child is now risky; tansy could be very harmful to his body. So, think a hundred times before taking anything.

If the decision to terminate the pregnancy is final, and the pregnancy is very short, you have a choice: have a medical abortion (possible if there is a delay of up to 2 weeks) or remove the fertilized egg and endometrium using vacuum aspiration.

Vacuum aspiration is an inexpensive procedure and is performed in a gynecologist's office under local anesthesia.
With a medical abortion, a miscarriage occurs from taking certain pills given by a doctor. This is a rather expensive type of abortion, and there is always a fee. But it is convenient, since it does not require surgical intervention; miscarriage occurs at home.

This reaction is not surprising, because, as you know, this is an extremely serious procedure. An unfortunate set of circumstances can lead to irreparable consequences for life.

Throughout the world of gynecology, abortion is considered a terrible blow to the female body. By artificially terminating an unwanted pregnancy, women risk infertility. Abortions often lead to inflammatory diseases of the internal genital organs, and are sometimes accompanied by bleeding, which can often be stopped only by removing the uterus. Another negative side of abortion is the most terrible “hormonal disruption”, therefore, as a result of such a “hormonal shock”, many women undergo hormonal changes, and as a result, metabolic and hormonal cycle disorders.

Therefore, in our time, the question of how to prevent unwanted pregnancy remains relevant. To everyone’s joy, modern medicine can provide many tools and methods that can easily help prevent unwanted pregnancy. But the means are different, so it’s worth talking about the most effective and at the same time safe ones.

Let's start with the fact that every woman's body is individual, therefore, even in the twenty-first century, doctors were not able to patent a universal remedy that all women could use, regardless of their health status and age. Therefore, before making a choice of contraception, you need to consult a gynecologist: a specialist will not only help you choose the best option, but will also tell you how to use the recommended product correctly.

What remedies can you choose to prevent pregnancy?

The real heyday for the condom was the twenty-first century. Scented, colored, pimpled, ribbed or glowing “products No. 2” will not only add variety to your sex life, protect against sexually transmitted infections, but also prevent unwanted pregnancy. Unfortunately, in our market you can still buy this product at a low price, but of very dubious quality. Although there are times when high-quality products can fail. If a condom breaks during sexual intercourse, regardless of whether the man ejaculates or not, the woman still needs to douche. There are several options here, so you can choose a solution from lemon juice or acid, laundry soap, boric or salicylic acid, you can even use Coca-Cola, the main thing is that the prepared solution is half percent. It should taste slightly sour. A solution that is too concentrated can burn the mucous membrane of the affected area, so if you feel a burning sensation when douching, you need to stop the procedure and dilute the solution a little more with water.

Spermicidal drugs.

Spermicidal preparations that are used by insertion into the vagina are considered more effective and safe.

If the condom breaks after ejaculation, and pregnancy is not in the immediate plans, the woman needs to take emergency contraception. In reality, pregnancy occurs approximately on the fifth day after intercourse; only emergency contraception will help here, since its effect occurs much faster. But it is important to remember that this method will only work if pregnancy prevention occurs no later than 72 hours from the moment of sexual intercourse. In the first days after sexual intercourse, to prevent unwanted pregnancy, women take combined contraceptives orally.

The procedure is divided into two times: the first dose of tablets must be taken within three days after unprotected sexual intercourse, and after 12 hours - the second time. But taking each drug differs in its composition and dosage. For example, Ovidon should be taken 2 tablets twice a day every 12 hours; “Regulon”, “Mikroginon”, “Regividon”, “Marvelon”, “Femoden” - 4 tablets twice a day. “Mersilon”, “Logest” - 5 tablets also 2 times a day. The most effective drug is Postinor, but the first tablet must be taken within 48 hours, and the second after 12 hours.
The listed drugs are quite harmless to the female body, but the same cannot be said about Postinor and Dinazole. Under no circumstances should the dose of this emergency contraception be more than 4 tablets per month, and they also come with a bunch of side effects.
In no case is it recommended to exceed the dosage of any of the drugs listed, since, by inducing menstruation, they can provoke actual bleeding.

You may feel sick while taking the pills. To reduce the urge and prevent vomiting, about 5 minutes before taking the pills, eat something salty, meat or drink a glass of milk. But if vomiting occurs within an hour after taking the drug, take the second dose along with antiemetic tablets. Sometimes a slice of lemon helps in this case.

If after 1-2 days you have a menstrual-like reaction, this is evidence that you have avoided an unwanted pregnancy. Otherwise, you need to consult a doctor and undergo appropriate tests.
Finally, I would like to warn you that preventing unwanted pregnancy in this way is necessary only in emergency cases, not forgetting about normal protection.

Anyone who writes about contraception first advises visiting a doctor who will help you choose the method that is right for you. But there are situations (and they often fall on weekends and holidays) when you need to act immediately: unprotected sexual intercourse has occurred, and you urgently need to prevent a possible pregnancy. What medicine should I take for emergency contraception and why should I not do it often?

What is emergency contraception

The name speaks for itself. Emergency contraception is aimed at preventing implantation of an already fertilized egg. But you have no idea whether your egg is fertilized or not. How, until a certain time, until a certain time, with all the arsenal of means for early diagnosis of pregnancy, modern medicine has no idea about this!

And when the egg is already implanted - then excuse me, girls, mini- or maxi - but this is already an abortion! So the goal of emergency contraception is “better safe than sorry.” And it is used in the case of any unprotected sexual intercourse, when the barrier method is ineffective (broken condom), and also in the case when a woman “oops, forgot to take the pills!”

There are several types of emergency contraception:

1. Combined oral contraceptives - COCs;
2. “Pure progestin” - gestagenic drugs;
3. “Antitropic” drugs are drugs that affect the secretion of hormones.

Combined oral contraceptives - urgently

Emergency contraception using COCs consists of twice using 200 mcg ethinyl estradiol and 1 mg levonorgestrel within seventy-two hours after sexual intercourse. Take the first dose immediately. The second - in twelve hours.

So that you don’t get confused with the names, I’ll say it simpler: you should take a good old COC like ovidone, containing “horse” doses of these hormones. There are also drugs ovral (USA, Canada) and tetragynon (Germany, Sweden).

In the relatively old, not very reproductively good Soviet times, the contraceptive combined oral contraceptive non-ovlon was used for these purposes. And I want to tell you a sad story about how one girl, a medical student, decided - on the advice of a friend - to take this very non-ovlon after unprotected sexual intercourse.

But the girl decided to ignore her friend’s recommendation: “One pill now, immediately! The second - in twelve hours." She thought: “Oh, what serious effect can there be from one tiny pill now, immediately, and from one identical tiny pill twelve hours later?” And after such thoughts, she took and gasped under a glass of tea all the foreign currency with non-ovlon. After which the excellent student girl was taken away in an ambulance with uterine bleeding.

Because the mechanism of action of emergency contraception using COCs is to prevent implantation due to endometrial rejection. Again: endometrial rejection. It's clear? One or two tablets can cause endometrial rejection. From a handful of COCs taken at once - uterine bleeding. With all the ensuing consequences for the body. But thank God, the bleeding was stopped relatively conservatively: with curettage and intravenous infusions.

This story still torments my conscience: I was the same friend who advised her classmate on the method of emergency (or, as it is also called, emergency post-coital) contraception. Since then, when explaining anything to women - at least in personal communication, face to face - I am extremely careful, meticulous and ask them to retell what was stated.

Emergency contraception using COCs is also possible with low-dose drugs (the same ones, for example, that you forgot to drink on time). The number of tablets in this case will vary depending on their composition and dosage of hormones - then I gave the standard dose of emergency contraception with COCs: 200 mcg ethinyl estradiol and 1 mg levonorgestrel. I hope everyone can read the instructions for tablets and count on calculators! And no one confuses micrograms with milligrams! If you don’t know how, ask your mom and dad. Or an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Side effects of emergency contraception with COCs include nausea and vomiting. Contraindications are the same as general. If you have diabetes or cardiovascular disease, this is not your emergency contraception method. (Strictly speaking, emergency contraception is not contraception at all, but a method for fools who have screwed up. Once or twice, it doesn’t happen to anyone... But oh, I don’t recommend using it often!)

Progestin drugs for emergency contraception

“Pure progestin” emergency (urgent) contraception: a long-known Hungarian drug postinor. Contains 0.75 mg levonorgestrel. The most widely known regimen (recommended by WHO a long time ago): two doses within 48-72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. One tablet at a time! And I also don’t recommend getting carried away.

There is also the drug Norkolut (known as “vacation pills”, because for the first time, foreign students who were leaving for a two-week vacation began to take it for contraceptive purposes) - if you plan to have unprotected sex no more than two weeks a year, but to the fullest, - 5 mg of Norkolut per day. But no longer than two weeks! And this only protects against pregnancy, but not at all against infections and sexually transmitted diseases.

"Antitropic" drugs used for emergency contraception

1. Danazol is an antigonadotropic (that is, preventing the production of tropic hormones - hormones that affect the production of sex hormones themselves) drug. Twice 400 mg with an interval of twelve hours (immediately after coitus). Or three times - in the same regimen: 400 mg at intervals of twelve hours (if 48-72 hours have passed since sexual intercourse).

So far, the method is exclusively empirical (that is, experimental, it was arrived at experimentally). There are not enough statistically reliable studies on this topic.

1. Mifepristone, which is being thrown at you from all over the Internet as a means of “medical abortion” (which is not entirely true), is a synthetic antiprogestin that is a derivative of norethisterone.

It is much more effective for emergency contraception than for “medical” abortion. In the event that it is taken in a dose of 600 mg once within seventy-two hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. Or 200 mg from the 23rd to the 27th days of the menstrual cycle.

Mifepristone is the most effective and painless means of emergency contraception. Often, as you understand, it should not be used. Mifepristone can also change/interrupt the menstrual cycle. So if you have used mifepristone as a means of emergency contraception, now is the time to start hormonal contraception with COCs on a permanent basis after your menstruation.

All hormonal emergency contraception is not one hundred percent effective. And not very useful. Once again loudly and emphatically: emergency (urgent, postcoital) contraception is a one-time contraception. Under no circumstances should you use it continuously. There are no methods of this type of contraception that are safe for your body. After using emergency contraception, you should definitely choose another, permanent method of contraception that effectively prevents pregnancy and is safe for the body. I again and again recommend that young and healthy women pay close attention to combined oral contraception - COCs - as the most physiological, thoughtful and reversible.

Tatiana Solomatina

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Discussion

wonderful article, it’s a pity that they forgot to mention the spiral

Comment on the article "If the condom breaks: 3 types of pills against unwanted pregnancy"

Abortion. Women Health. Women's health issues - diagnosis, treatment, contraception 7ya.ru - information project on family issues: pregnancy and childbirth, education...

Medication interruption at 8 weeks! I can’t believe it, I can’t accept that nothing else will happen! I CONSTANTLY think that what I felt a few days ago (even if...

Discussion

Girls, thank you, I’m having a real withdrawal: trembling all over my body, I can’t stop it, I can’t work, tears are flowing, I’m ashamed in front of my employees. It was especially fun to work on the day of the miscarriage (there was no cleaning, there was a medical interruption).
How can we now live to see the expected date of birth: July 14th!!! and don’t beat yourself up! Lord, help me endure!!!
Ps: I’ll at least try to get drunk today, maybe it will relieve the tension a little...

Until the date comes, he won’t let go. You have to live and you will succeed. It’s hard for my husband too, but it’s much more difficult for you, you carried him. Let your little angel go. I often think about my two, they know that I was waiting for them and love them very much.

medication interruption. Contraception. Intimate matters. 7ya.ru - information project on family issues: pregnancy and childbirth, raising children, education and...

Abortion and its consequences. Termination of pregnancy, possible complications after abortion. Medical abortion (“French pills”) Specific receptors are blocked...

The doctor suggested a medical abortion with Mifepristone. Has anyone here had an abortion like this while frozen? Were there any complications?

Discussion

My sister had two abortions in a row after two children, and when she decided to get pregnant again, my husband got cancer, when he was cured, he can’t think about any children since he takes medications for life

Afraid. that it’s too late to persuade and dissuade you... I won’t judge either - because I myself am not without sin...
I am a mother of five children and have four abortions between the first and the other children...
understand, nothing happens by chance. especially if you and your husband love each other, you would like children, but... it turned out, as you think, at the wrong time. Children come when they need it, and it’s not up to us to decide. when I became pregnant with my second, my new husband was a 3rd year student, we lived on an increased scholarship of 165 rubles, my maternity benefits and my mother’s small salary - five of us. - then the apartment happened in a very strange way. When the third one turned out, my husband was finishing college... Suddenly a job abroad fell on his head (there was enough money for another couple of years)... etc.
perhaps - this is the best option, of course - it can be worse.
but in general, psychologically - abortion is a very difficult thing. The first three - in the Soviet Deputies - went unnoticed - simply as a method of contraception "after the fact" - like that was the way it was for everyone. And after the last one, it took 2-3 years, I dreamed about the child, I know what is she like, when was she supposed to be born..etc.Ya. In general, I wanted a child, but the situation was not at all “for children.” and I, being “smart and experienced”, did it, although I felt that something was wrong... Now I know why, but...
I don’t want to remember how much fate has changed for the worse. How much I had to get out of this and put myself back together piece by piece... I can give another half a dozen examples of how everything collapsed after my friends’ abortions. and they also did this, citing the fact that “it’s not time”, “work”, “I can’t”, “what will happen to the eldest”, etc. My close friend (a believer!!!), having two children, said that she would not give birth to a third - she needed to grow professionally and earn money... result: The youngest was sick all winter after that (4 pneumonia in a row in a three-year-old child!, antibiotics, my teeth were all destroyed). I had to quit kindergarten, I was asked to leave my job... That’s career growth...
Everything is possible, always. and we are not the ones who measure their magnitude.
Good luck and peace of mind to you. Decide for yourself what you would really like and what could happen to you, your psyche and health in an unfavorable situation. And also - in infants - psychological trauma after abortions in the mother is described in the literature. This is all later - can’t be changed!

Everywhere I went they offered medical abortion. What to do, where to run? With a mini-abortion, and especially with a medical abortion, there is a possibility that tissue will remain...

Modern Russian women lead an active sex life, often without thinking about the consequences of unprotected sex. What should you do if something unexpected happened: you forgot to take a contraceptive pill, the condom broke, or during the most “dangerous” period you did not use any contraceptive method? To a friend? In hospital? Immediately for an abortion? A specialist in reproductive health, scientific advisor to the director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Scientific Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology named after V.I.” discusses modern methods of emergency contraception. Kulakova" of the Ministry of Health of Russia Elena Leonidovna Sheshko.

To prevent unwanted, unplanned pregnancy and prevent unforeseen situations even when there is no longer any chance of this, emergency contraceptives were developed, which will be discussed further.

First, let me remind you of one of the basic tenets of medicine: the best treatment is prevention. Today there are a huge number of modern, effective and safe methods of contraception. They can be divided into several groups:

1) natural methods- usually based on determining the phase of the menstrual cycle or interruption of sexual intercourse. They are very unreliable and do not protect against STIs (sexually transmitted infections). Nevertheless, a significant number of Russian women rely on these methods;

2) barrier methods— can be effective in preventing pregnancy, and condoms can also be effective in preventing STIs. Their effectiveness depends on proper use. They are often recommended in combination with other, more effective means;

3) intrauterine devices- may contain metals (copper, silver) and hormones, their effect is due to a chemical effect on sperm and eggs or changes in cervical mucus and endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus). The effectiveness of these methods is high, but they do not protect against STIs;

4) hormonal methods- very effective, also do not protect against STIs. These methods include oral contraceptives (the pill), patches, vaginal rings, implants, and emergency contraceptive methods.

The problem of contraception is attracting more and more attention. According to official data published on the Rosstat website, in 2012 there were 1,063,982 terminations of pregnancy in our country! And these are only registered cases - according to various sources, unregistered abortions in our country range from 200 to 400 thousand per year. Total: about 1.5 million people die before they are even born.

However, abortion is not only a serious social problem, but also a difficult moral choice for a woman, which she will have to live with for the rest of her life, as well as a great risk of subsequently losing the opportunity to have children. And adolescents are most often exposed to this risk - young girls who, having become pregnant, decide in favor of an abortion. There are tens of thousands of such cases! Often, such dramatic developments could have been avoided if girls and women had known about the existence of emergency contraception methods.

So, what is emergency contraception, and what is it for? The answer is simple: it is necessary in cases where you are not sure that other methods of contraception “worked” (for example, a condom broke or the schedule for taking oral contraceptives was disrupted), or in cases where contraceptive methods were not used at all.

The main active ingredients in such products are either hormonally active (in tablets) or copper-containing substances (in the form of intrauterine devices).

According to the recommendations of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), for emergency contraception it is safest to use tablets containing 1.5 mg of levonorgestrel (in our country they are presented under the brand name “Escapelle”).

WHO experts recommend using these tablets once, within 5 days after sexual intercourse. However, judging by the research results, the greatest effectiveness of levonorgestrel was observed on the first and second days - 95 and 85%, respectively, about 60% - on the third day. That is, if you take this pill on the fifth day after unprotected intercourse, it will not have sufficient effect. Therefore, it is better to use emergency contraceptive pills with levonorgestrel in accordance with the instructions for this drug - for 3 days (and the sooner, the more effective).

We seem to have figured out the pills themselves and all sorts of numbers, but the following question arises: how do emergency contraceptives “work”, what advantages and disadvantages do they have?

The principle of action of emergency contraceptives is to suppress the key stages of the conception process - ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary) and implantation (the attachment of a fertilized egg to the endometrium). Thus, the egg either remains in the ovary, where its contact with the sperm is impossible, or, if contact has already taken place, it does not attach to the wall of the uterus, and pregnancy does not develop.

Now that the mechanism of action of these drugs has become more or less clear, we can talk about their advantages and disadvantages. Safety (low frequency of side effects and absence of serious complications) with good effectiveness rates, convenience and ease of use (just one tablet), and even use after unprotected sexual intercourse (when it seems that there are no ways to avoid unwanted pregnancy) make this method of contraception worthy and significant. However, it should be remembered that the method does not protect against STIs, and if used frequently it can lead to menstrual irregularities.

And in conclusion, I would like to once again emphasize the fact that emergency contraceptives can prevent an unwanted and unplanned pregnancy, and therefore a possible operation to terminate it (with all the ensuing consequences). In this case, your prudent contraceptive choices will preserve your reproductive health and help you have healthy children in the future.

Motherhood in our country is the honorable duty of every woman. However, for one reason or another (family circumstances, health status, etc.) at a certain time, not every woman wants to have a child. Abortion is not the best way to end a pregnancy.

Observations show that even a hospital abortion can lead to many unpleasant immediate and long-term consequences (inflammatory processes of the genital organs, nervous disorders, menstrual dysfunction, complications during further pregnancies and childbirth, etc.). Therefore, skillful selection and proper use of contraceptives relieve a woman from the consequences of an abortion, even if it is medical, that is not indifferent to her health.

Every woman needs to become thoroughly familiar with the rules of sexual hygiene and methods of preventing pregnancy. Qualified advice on these issues can, of course, only be obtained from a gynecologist. By using contraceptives without consulting a doctor, a woman does not always achieve the desired result, and often even exposes herself to the risk of a number of serious diseases.

Attempts to regulate childbirth using contraceptives were made in ancient times. However, to date we do not have absolutely reliable protective measures. This is explained by the fact that the preservative must meet several requirements at once: it must reliably protect; be completely harmless not only for the wife and husband, but also for the health of future children; be simple and easy to use; be aesthetic, economically widely available and not violate sexual feelings.

Existing contraceptives are not always free from these shortcomings, but with proper selection and skillful use, you can reliably protect yourself from pregnancy.

The purpose of contraception, as is known, is to prevent sperm from penetrating the uterus and, thus, preventing the fusion of two life principles. This is achieved by various means:

1) creating a mechanical obstacle to the fusion of the male seminal filament with the egg;

2) a chemical effect on the male seminal fluid, causing sperm to lose the ability to move and fertilize;

3) a biological method of protection (for example, by influencing the processes of maturation and release of the egg and sperm or creating a woman’s immunity to sperm). It should be said that these methods are still of little comfort.

4) surgical method to prevent pregnancy. This method is used only as a concomitant operation for transection for various reasons and its purpose is to prevent the fusion of sperm with the egg. Thus, only the first two methods of protection should be considered publicly available. We will dwell on them in more detail.

MECHANICAL CONTRACEPTIVES

Mechanical contraceptives can be used by both men and women. Therefore, they can be divided into male and female condoms.

The most common male condom (condom), made from thin, high-quality elastic rubber. The male condom is an effective and harmless way to prevent pregnancy. It also protects men and women well from contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Before use, the condom must be checked, since after long-term storage it changes properties, becomes less elastic and more fragile. It is necessary to pay attention to the release date and expiration date. When using a condom, you must remember that its blind end must remain free for the release of sperm, the volume of which can be about 5-8 g.

To prevent the condom from breaking during sexual intercourse, it should be lubricated with boric petroleum jelly while already in place, or used in combination with a chemical contraceptive prepared on a fat basis. Condom protection will be useless if a man does not use it from the beginning of sexual intercourse. Even if only part of the sperm enters the vagina, conception can occur. According to statistics, the relative incidence of pregnancy when using a male condom ranges from 6 to 19%. The negative quality of this method of contraception is that it reduces the severity of sensation in both partners.

Female condoms come in two types: cervical and vaginal. The use of cervical condoms is intended to close the external uterine os and block sperm from entering the uterine cavity. Of the several types of cervical condoms, the most common are the Kafka and Mizpa caps. Kafka caps are made of aluminum or plastic and are produced under 22 different numbers. The difference in diameter between each subsequent number is 1 mm. For women who have given birth, caps from 8 to 14 numbers are most often suitable. The reliability of this type of pregnancy protection largely depends on how accurately the cap is selected and whether the anatomical features of the cervix are well taken into account.

A properly selected Kafka cap is an effective means of protection. However, it cannot be recommended to all women. The cap cannot be used in case of inflammatory processes of the internal genital organs, in particular in case of catarrh of the cervix and vagina, with significant ruptures of the cervix, prolapse of the walls of the vagina and uterus. The selection and putting on of the cap is carried out by the antenatal clinic doctor. A correctly selected cap usually adheres quite tightly to the cervix.

Do not allow the cap to fit too tightly or too loosely. During sexual intercourse, the cap will not slip off only when it covers the cervix on all sides and sits deep enough. In cases where it is not possible to select a cap for the cervix, each doctor, if he has AKR-7 plastic used in dental practice, can prepare a cap of the desired size and shape himself. By applying liquid plastic, placed in a large metal cap, to the cervix, you can take an impression of it in the same way as when making an impression of your teeth and jaws. After the plastic, which has taken the shape of the desired cap, has dried, it is removed from the large metal cap and lightly ground. The resulting cap is resistant to boiling and exposure to the vaginal environment.

A woman using a cap should push slightly after each sexual intercourse to remove semen that has erupted into the vagina. The cap can remain on the cervix for up to 6-7 days. It can be worn again after one day. After menstruation, you can put on a cap no earlier than three days later. It needs to be removed three to four days before it starts. After childbirth, the cap can be used after 3-4 months, after an abortion - three to four days after the end of the first menstruation. Before putting the cap on the cervix and after removing it, you must syringe with a light disinfectant solution.

You can learn how to remove the cap correctly at the antenatal clinic. To do this, it is necessary, while squatting, to grab the edge of the cap with the index finger of your right hand and remove it, having first washed your hands clean. After washing, the removed cap is boiled and stored in a clean napkin. Correct use of the Kafka cap gives a fairly high percentage of temporary infertility (up to 90%).

To increase the effectiveness of the cap, it is useful to combine its use with chemical contraceptives, preferably contraceptive pastes, in particular gramicidin.

The Mizpa cap is made of rubber and has a thick rim. There are 20 numbers of such condoms. They are selected in the same way as Kafka caps, but putting them on is much easier. The rules for using them are the same, and their effectiveness, especially in combination with chemical contraceptives (paste, quinine solution, etc.), is no less than when using a Kafka cap.

In addition to those mentioned, there are several other types of vaginal condoms, but the more common is the “KR” (Red Rubber) cap. The “KR” cap is a convex diaphragm made of thin rubber, the edges of which are attached to a rim made of an elastic nickel silver spiral spring enclosed in a rubber cover. These caps can also be used by women for whom the Kafka cap is contraindicated. Contraindications to the use of a vaginal cap are significant prolapse of the vaginal wall and extensive bleeding erosion of the cervix. Unlike cervical caps, vaginal caps create a kind of partition in it that prevents the penetration of the male reproductive cell into the cervix.

When correctly inserted into the vagina, the cap takes a position in which the rear edge of the rim rests against the posterior fornix of the vagina, and the front edge against its anterior wall. Thus, the vagina is divided by a cap into two sections: the anterior one, where the sperm is poured out, and the posterior one, where the cervix is ​​located. The “KR” cap is usually produced in three sizes: 70, 75, 80. The doctor selects it individually for each woman. This cap is simple, easy to use and hygienic. It does not need to be left in the vagina for a long time. It is also convenient because it can be inserted into the vagina both before sexual intercourse and in advance, and, if necessary, left there for up to three days. Every woman can learn to put on the “KR” cap herself. It should be used in combination with any chemical contraceptive, preferably with a paste. In this case, the rubber cap prevents the penetration of sperm into the uterus, and the paste kills them.

Before inserting the KR cap into the vagina, a woman should wash her hands thoroughly with soap. Taking a clean cap and thickly lubricating its edges on both sides with contraceptive paste, you should, squatting or placing your left leg on a chair, insert it into the vagina. In this case, the cap must be compressed into a boat shape and inserted with the convex side facing down. You need to advance the cap until it is completely hidden in the vagina and its rear edge rests against the posterior fornix of the vagina. After this, its front edge must be pressed against the front wall of the vagina with one finger.

After inserting the cap, you need to check whether it lies correctly, whether it covers the cervix well and whether it is pressed tightly against the side walls of the vagina. If the cap is selected and inserted incorrectly, the cervix remains uncovered. Remove the cap in the same way as inserting it. In this case, grab the edge of the cap with the index finger of your right hand and remove it. Before removing the cap, it is better to douche with a light disinfectant solution. If this is not possible, then after sexual intercourse you need to push and mechanically remove the sperm that has spilled into the vagina. The removed cap should be washed with soap and running water, dried and stored in a clean gauze cloth.

The Bakaleinikov condom is a thin-walled, slightly inflated ball that is inserted into the vagina before intercourse. During sexual intercourse, it easily flattens, due to which it closes the cervix and fills the entire upper part of the vagina, perhaps even partially being sucked onto the uterine os by its flattened surface. The contraceptive effect increases when combined with chemical contraceptives (paste, beads, douching). This condom is very easy to use. After use, the “ball” must be washed thoroughly under running water. It should be stored in the same way as the “KR” cap.

The peculiarity of the “Ideal” rubber cap is that its thick edge is made of sponge. The sponge cap is impregnated with a chemical contraceptive. Its effectiveness when used correctly is very high.

The simplest way to prevent pregnancy is to use cotton or sponge swabs. Their disadvantage is that a large tampon interferes with sexual intercourse, and a small one does not reach its goal due to the fact that the cervix remains exposed. Therefore, when using this method of protection, you should also simultaneously use chemical contraceptives, that is, soak the sponges with seminal liquids, for example, wood vinegar (1 tablespoon per glass of water) or a solution of table vinegar (2 tablespoons per glass of water). The best means of protection is a 1-2% solution of quinine. A tampon is prepared from sterile cotton wool or a well-washed, dried sponge. They are tied crosswise with a thick thread, the long end of which is left outside for ease of removal from the vagina. The vaginal tampon should be such that it covers the cervix. To do this, it is inserted into the vagina as deeply as possible. After sexual intercourse, the tampon is removed either immediately or after a few hours, then it is advisable to douche with a manganese solution (two teaspoons of a 2 percent solution per cup of boiled water).

Simple, always accessible and fairly effective means of preventing pregnancy include soap powder and soap cream used for shaving, or even a piece of toilet soap. These products, containing alkalis, which have a detrimental effect on sperm, are quite effective. They can be combined with various caps.

It is no secret that many married couples use protection for a more or less long period of time using a method called interrupted coitus. The significant spread of this harmful method forces us to dwell in more detail on its consequences.

Interrupted sexual intercourse is understood as incomplete, unfinished sexual intercourse, when the ejaculation of semen occurs outside the woman’s genital organs. In a woman, such sexual intercourse causes constant dissatisfaction and prolonged congestive plethora of the genital organs. Systematic repetition of this method leads to persistent changes in the woman’s reproductive system: inflammatory processes, prolonged menstruation disorders, sacral pain, profuse leucorrhoea and a number of other disorders.

By resorting to interrupted sexual intercourse for a long time, a married couple may face such an unpleasant fact as a neuropsychic disease. Interrupted sexual intercourse does not guarantee against pregnancy.

CHEMICAL CONTRACEPTIVES

There are more and more chemical contraceptives every year. What they have in common is that they either kill sperm or sharply weaken their vital properties, as a result of which fertilization does not occur. All these products are harmless to the body, more or less effective and convenient to use.

The most common method of contraception among women is douching with various sperm-toxic solutions. To do this, use: salicylic acid (1 teaspoon per cup of water), boric acid (1 tablespoon per cup of water), lactic acid (2-3 tablespoons per cup of water), solution of manganese, quinine or quinosol (2 g per cup of water). liter of water), alum solution (1 g per liter of water).

It must be remembered that in most cases, the lost time from the end of sexual intercourse to the start of douching is sufficient for sperm to penetrate the cervical canal. This also happens because during sexual arousal the muscles of the uterus contract, and the mucous plug of the cervix protrudes into the vagina and is enveloped in sperm. After sexual intercourse, the mucous plug containing sperm is retracted back into the cervix. Therefore, it is advisable to use douching in combination with other chemical contraceptives. These products can be prescribed by a doctor and made according to individual recipes or prepared in a factory. Chemical contraceptives are available in the form of pastes, pellets, suppositories, tablets, capsules, etc.

Contraceptive paste. Currently, various pastes are widely used among contraceptives. One of the more well-known is gramicidin paste, available in 30-50 g packages in aluminum tubes or jars with screw caps.

Gramicidin paste is a white thick mass, almost odorless. It is easily washed off with water and does not have a harmful effect on the general condition of the woman or on the mucous membrane of her vagina. Moreover, the paste has medicinal properties and can be used to treat inflammation of the cervix and vagina. In women suffering from inflammation of the vaginal mucosa, gramicidin new paste sometimes causes a mild, transient burning sensation. You can insert the paste into the vagina both before sexual intercourse and in advance. It is administered either on a tampon or using special syringe tips. The syringe is a transparent hollow tube with a thread at one end, which is screwed onto the neck of the tube. The capacity of the syringe is 5-6 cubes. With its help, the paste is inserted into the vagina while lying on your back. After sexual intercourse, you should strain slightly so that some of the sperm comes out. Having removed the latter with a clean gauze cloth, you need to introduce an additional amount of paste. Douching is not recommended. After use, the syringe with tip must be rinsed with hot water and treated with any disinfectant solution. The syringe should not be boiled. After washing, it is dried and stored in a clean cloth until the next use.

Contraceptive paste is ineffective for women who have torn perineal muscles or significant prolapse of the vaginal walls. The contraceptive effect when using gramicidin paste, according to the author who proposed it, is very high and reaches 98%.

Vaginal contraceptive beads are also widely used against conception. These balls are made from various medicinal substances, to which substances that have a detrimental effect on sperm are usually added in different combinations: quinine, quinozole, boric acid, nicotinic acid, etc. The connecting base is usually butter, cocoa or gelatin.

The balls, if they are oil-based, are inserted deeply into the area of ​​the posterior vaginal vault a few minutes before sexual intercourse. It is convenient to protect yourself with balls. After sexual intercourse, a woman is recommended to push slightly and mechanically remove the sperm, then douche with some kind of sperm-toxic solution. Gelatin-based balls dissolve much more slowly, so it is recommended to administer them 10-15 minutes before sexual intercourse. To avoid drying out, store the balls in a cool place in a glass container with a lid. When stored for a long time, they harden, do not dissolve well in the vagina and lose their effectiveness.

Contraceptive beads of various compositions are freely sold in pharmacy stores. The more common of these are contraceptin and lutenurin. If they are not on sale, you need to contact a gynecologist who can write a prescription for the necessary balls and suppositories, as well as for other contraceptives.

Contraceptives can also be enclosed in capsules, usually gelatin. When inserted into the vagina, the capsule dissolves after 10-15 minutes and the powdery substances contained in it spill out, producing a sperm-toxic effect.

The effectiveness of the use of contraceptive beads, suppositories, capsules, judging by the data of various authors, ranges from 73 to 83%.

A widely recommended contraceptive is a foaming tablet called nicoceptin. This product is a mixture of 1% niacin with a foaming base. Tablets are available in glass and metal tubes of 10-20 pieces each. These tablets are white and completely harmless. They are odorless and do not cause any irritation. 15-20 minutes before sexual intercourse, you need to insert 2 nicoceptin tablets into the vagina, after dipping them in water. When nicoceptin comes into contact with male seminal fluid, a violent foaming reaction occurs, the vagina and cervix are filled with foam. Nicotinic acid has a detrimental effect on sperm, and foaming makes it difficult for them to advance. The contraceptive effect of the tablets lasts for 1-2 hours after insertion into the vagina. The tablets should be stored in hermetically sealed packaging, protected from light, since nicotinic acid decomposes in light and this reduces their effectiveness. The shelf life of nicoceptin is unlimited if the specified conditions are met. According to many authors, nicoceptin provides a good contraceptive effect.

Recently, lutenurin has also been used with success. It is available either in the form of fat-based pellets or in the form of foaming tablets. Contraceptive pellets are used immediately before sexual intercourse, and foaming tablets are inserted into the vagina 5-10 minutes before sexual intercourse, pre-moistened in water. Lutenurine balls and tablets not only provide a contraceptive effect, but also have an anti-inflammatory and anti-trichomoniacal effect.

You should also remember about the physiological method of birth control. Every woman has days that are most favorable for conception. These days are close to the moment of ovulation, i.e. the release of the egg from the ovary. Ovulation, as is known, occurs between two menstruation, counting from their first days. An egg released from the ovary can only be fertilized in the next 1-2 days. Spermatozoa retain their vital activity mainly for 2-3 days. Consequently, every woman can calculate the days that are dangerous for conception and abstain from sexual intercourse during this time. These days are calculated as follows: take 2 days for ovulation and 3 days before and after it (taking into account the vital activity of sperm). Thus, with a 28-day menstrual cycle, the period dangerous for conception will be from the 10th to the 18th day, counting from the first day of menstruation. Some authors, however, express the idea that some women may experience extraordinary (provoked) ovulation, which occurs under the influence of sexual arousal during intercourse. This seems to explain the rare cases of pregnancy occurring before or after menstruation.

It is strictly forbidden to resort to intrauterine methods of contraception for the purpose of preventing pregnancy. These methods are harmful to the female body. They almost always cause chronic inflammatory processes, which can result in ectopic pregnancy, infertility, cervical erosion, etc. Intrauterine injection of iodine tincture is especially dangerous, because, in addition to the complications already mentioned, this also leads to early extinction of ovarian function.

Selection of contraceptives. As can be seen from all that has been said, many methods are now known to prevent pregnancy. New ones are also being sought. And, one must assume, this search will continue until it is possible to find a means of protection that is absolutely simple to use and reliable in its results. In the meantime, each woman, with the help of a doctor, should choose the most suitable one from the available means. When selecting contraceptives in each individual case, the doctor takes into account a number of factors that may be important for a married couple, for example, the anatomical features of the genital apparatus of the wife and husband or changes that occur in the genitals during intercourse.

Of great importance when selecting contraceptives is the location of the body of the uterus and its cervix: shape, size of the cervix, direction of the pharynx (anterior or posterior), capacity and depth of the fornix, the presence and nature of uterine secretions, condition of the perineum, etc. For example, when the fundus is located the uterus anteriorly, and the cervix posteriorly and in the shallow posterior fornix, chemical contraceptives (pastes, pellets and tablets) are usually quite effective. In such a case, the contraceptive, having accumulated in the shallow posterior fornix, closes the cervix, envelops it and penetrates the cervical canal. This, in addition to the chemical effect on sperm, also creates a mechanical obstacle to their progress. Tampons or sponges soaked in a sperm-toxic agent (quinine, boric acid, etc.) are also effective for this structure of the reproductive apparatus. For such women, doctors usually do not recommend using mechanical contraceptives - caps that are placed on the cervix, since sperm, once on the anterior surface of the cervix, can easily reach the cervical canal.

With the same location of the cervix, but in combination with a deep vault, the use of chemical contraceptives alone is no longer sufficient, since, dissolving, they accumulate mainly in the posterior vault, while the cervix remains unprotected from sperm and they can easily penetrate into uterus With this structure of the reproductive apparatus, it is advisable for women to combine vaginal caps with chemical contraceptives. This combination of protection is most often used. It is quite reliable for old perineal ruptures (even with some prolapse of the vaginal walls), and for mild inflammatory changes in the cervix and vagina. In the latter case, the chemical contraceptive must simultaneously act as an anti-inflammatory (gramicidin paste, lutenurin).

If a woman who is sexually active has significant inflammatory changes in the cervix and vagina, then her husband should also be protected. The woman herself must use a contraceptive that simultaneously acts as an anti-inflammatory.

If the cervix is ​​facing anteriorly and the body of the uterus posteriorly, then a combined contraceptive is usually also prescribed, but it is best to combine Kafka cervical caps with chemical contraceptives.

It is clear that the advice given in this chapter does not exhaust the possibilities of a doctor who selects and recommends this or that contraceptive to a woman. I would also like to emphasize that the success of using contraceptives depends on carefully following the doctor’s advice.

R. S. Amanzholova