Its suitability varies by age, stage of life, and preference, but one thing is for sure: birth control prevents unwanted pregnancy and, in the case of condoms, disease as well.
Therefore, knowing more about them can help not only to have safe sex, but also to banish many myths and misinformation that can circulate both from web pages or social networks and through word of mouth.
Can a woman who has not given birth get an IUD? Does it hurt to do it? Should you take a break from birth control pills? In which cases can a condom break?
Florencia Salort, a gynecologist at the Italian Hospital in Buenos Aires, reviewed with ClarÃn the main myths and truths that circulate around the most widely used contraceptive methods, and provides details about each one.
Although this is a widely circulated belief, Salort clarifies that the use of an IUD has nothing to do with the condition of having given birth.
“It can be placed beyond whether or not they had children, regardless of whether you are a teenager or an adult, convenience has to do with the person and their characteristics, and not with age or parity,” he details.
Inserting an IUD hurts or bothers a percentage of women, while others don’t even realize it.
In this sense, he adds that it will depend on other factors such as the levels of bleeding, if you have an allergy to copper, the size of the cervical os – which may be poorly permeable or narrow –, the pain threshold, or illnesses and/or previous conditions. that should be consulted with the specialist personally.
The expert points out that there are different shapes and sizes of IUDs, “there are even small ones that can perfectly be placed in smaller uteruses,” she adds.
Hormones from birth control pills or the hormonal IUD give cellulite and make you gain weight
It depends
“It is false that the hormones in the pills make you gain weight, although they can cause swelling, cellulite or a little edema in some people, it depends on the formula they have,” he explains.
“The hormonal IUD -continues- has very low absorption, but at a low percentage, which is around 5 to 10% of people, it can give some adverse effect, such as headaches, abdominal distension or breast tension, nausea , vomiting, or others”.
You can gain weight or have cellulite, but it is not safe.
The condom can puncture
True
“If it is placed incorrectly, it can have many failures, so you have to learn to use it correctly: do not open the package with your teeth but with your fingers, putting the condom towards the other end beforehand so as not to break it; look at the expiration date; squeeze the tip before unrolling it, and hold it tight to get the air out of it so it doesn’t explode when the person ejaculates,” he advises.
Salort warns about the precautions to remove it: “You have intercourse and when you ejaculate, you take out the erect penis along with the condom, so that it does not stay inside the vagina. And another thing: it is used with water-based lubricant or silicone-based and never oil-based, because it corrodes it”.
Birth control pills can cause thrombosis
True
“But the risk of thrombosis is extremely lower than that of becoming pregnant or, to give other examples, having a thrombosis taking a plane or in the postpartum period. The prevalence of thrombosis in people who take healthy pills is 10 people in 10,000,” which which would be equivalent to 0.1%.
It is highly unlikely that a thrombosis will occur due to the pills
Vasectomy is irreversible
False
“In most cases it is reversible, depending on the technique used,” summarizes the gynecologist.
Vasectomy is a surgical process through which the vas deferens, which carry sperm from the testicle to the ejaculatory duct, are cut, explains Salort.
“There are two techniques and depending on which one is used – and if you are in trained hands – it can be reversed 80% of the time,” he clarifies, adding: “It does not produce a decrease in desire, or in ejaculation, or in penile erection: only spermatozoa fail to unite with semen”.
The IUD is an unsafe method: many women get pregnant using it
False
Its effectiveness is 99%, says Salort. There are copper and hormonal ones. In the first case, it is a T-shaped plastic structure that is placed in the uterus. Pregnancy is prevented by the action of the copper wire wrapped around the device, which produces an inflammatory reaction that is toxic to sperm and eggs.
As for its other variant, intrauterine contraception is combined with hormonal, since it contains progesterone.
Those who have heavy periods should not use IUDs
It depends
“For these people, the copper is not advisable, because they can see their bleeding increase, but the progesterone is, because it will greatly reduce bleeding,” says Salort.
Why can copper options increase bleeds? “In addition to its contraceptive action against sperm, the IUD can have an inflammatory action on the endometrium, so it can cause increased bleeding or leakage in the middle of the cycle,” he explains.
It is better for women with heavy periods not to use the IUD in the form of ‘T’.
“Therefore, if you already have heavy bleeding and if a copper IUD is inserted, on the one hand there is more risk of it being expelled, but on the other hand, the most important thing is that it can greatly increase bleeding due to greater irritation and inflammation internal”.
