Before opting for a contraceptive method, it is necessary to ask yourself the right questions and determine your needs based on your lifestyle habits and your age.
The method of contraception isa personal choice, but it is not always easy to choose the one that is most suitable. Among all those available on the market, there is bound to be one that suits you. Even though the pill remains the most popular contraception, it there are other alternatives according to their desires, their needs, their lifestyle, their medical situation as well as their medical history. Let’s take stock to choose, with full knowledge of the facts, the contraception most suited to their situation.
Change your contraception according to your age
► Adolescents/Young adults. There oral contraception seems the best contraceptive method for young girls, who must benefit from good protection, given their optimal fertility, and for whom the pill is rarely contraindicated. Dr Durand, gynecologist in Paris, adds: “It is sometimes even recommended that adolescent girls who are starting their sexual life double up on contraception and combine the condom with the pill.“
► After 40 years. The older you get, the more frequent the pill’s contraindications become. Indeed, “combined pills (estrogen-progestogen) are suitable for most women without contraindications (severe diabetes, phlebitis, liver diseases, etc.). Micro-progestin pills are rather prescribed to women for whom the combined pill is contraindicated“, specifies the gynecologist. In any case, from 40 years old and in the absence of contraindication, prefer micro-progestin pills. Contraception must be continued until complete menopause, because, in fact, pregnancy, even rare, is still possible, even when menstruation is no longer regular.
► Approaching menopause, local contraception or the IUD remain good contraceptive methods. In the absence of a contraindication, a combined pill can eliminate symptoms as menopause approaches, such as hot flashes or feelings of fatigue.
Changing contraception when you are a smoker
► For smokers over 35and those who smoke more than 15 cigarettes per day, or who have smoked for more than 15 years, as for those who have a cardiovascular risk, it is preferable not to use contraceptives containing estrogens (pill, vaginal ring or patch) .
► Among smokers under 35 years oldparticularly those who smoke little, recourse to the estrogen-progestin pill is possible, depending on their medical history and with regular medical monitoring.
► “After 40 years, smoking formally contraindicates oral contraception. The doctor instead prescribes a progestin-only pill, an implant, injectable progesterone, or a copper or progestin IUD“, underlines the expert.
Changing contraception when you travel a lot
If you travel a lot, time difference can make it difficult to take the pill at set times. The contraceptive patch is just as effective, practical and easy to use, particularly for women who tend to forget to take more pills.
Change contraception depending on your romantic situation
Single or in a stable relationship? Contraceptive methods may vary depending on the dating situation. During infrequent sexual intercourse, spermicides seem more effective than the diaphragm combined with spermicidal jelly, but their use remains relatively restrictive. Like the diaphragm, the cervical cap requires a certain amount of know-how in order to introduce it, place it correctly, and remove it. This method of contraception is especially effective in women who have never had children. Indeed, in women who have already had children, the vagina has undergone a change in size and appearance which prevents the cap from covering the entire cervix.
When intercourse becomes more frequent, it is natural to seek more comfortable contraception, so you can resort to the contraceptive pill. In the absence of a contraindication, a medium-dose pill seems a good method or in the event of a contraindication to estrogen-progestins, a micro-dose pill, composed of a progestogen, can be used. “You must opt for a certain type of pill depending on your history and what you want (continuous intake, with or without periods, reduction in acne, etc.) and give yourself time to see how the body does it. tolerate, and change if necessary to another contraception” specifies Dr Lidiane Rocha-Serri.
Change contraception if you are upset
You can also opt for the intrauterine device (hormonal or copper), the implant or the contraceptive ring, which allow you to avoid handling errors, and not to think about your contraception on a daily basis. copper IUD particularly suitable for women sensitive to hormones.