Family Planning: Importance & Methods

Introduction

Family planning is control of birth that contraception methods such as natural planning or hormonal birth control.

Family planning is reducing abortion rates for birth control through the provision of safe, effective birth control methods and client education on pregnancy prevention.

Family planning is providing counseling and education to all of patients on all of the health related family services.

Family Planning

Family planning is decision making for the number of children through contraception methods such as natural planning or hormonal birth control.

Family planning is the mission to reduce abortion rates through the provision of safe, effective contraception methods and client education on pregnancy prevention. Family planning is providing counseling and education to all of the patients on all of the services.

Importance of Family Planning

• Mothers and children are healthier when risky pregnancies are avoided.
• Taken of smaller family size that gets to more money and food for each child.
• Help to delaying pregnancy lets young people stay in school
• Parents get more time to work and give more time with family.
• Most young people need contraceptives to delay pregnancy. Probably, young women and men should wait until at least 18 years or have finished studies and are ready before having children.
• After child birth it may be healthier to wait at least 2 years to try to become pregnant again.
• Having more than 4 children makes childbirth riskier.

Birth Control/ Contraception Methods of Family Planning

There are various methods of contraception are includes:

• Long-acting reversible contraception such as implant or intrauterine device (IUD)
• Hormonal contraception such as pill or Depo Provera injection
• Barrier methods such as condoms
• Emergency contraception
• Fertility awareness
• Permanent contraception such as vasectomy and tubal ligation. 

Long-Acting Reversible Contraception

Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is a contraceptive method that lasts for a long time.

There are two types of LARC includes:

• The intrauterine device (IUD) that lasts for three, five or ten years
• The implant that lasts for five years.

They are called sometimes “fit and forget” contraception due to don’t needing to remember it every day or every month.

LARCs are the most effective types of contraception. They are more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy times.

Hormonal Contraceptives

Sometimes, birth control methods use hormones. They are both an estrogen and a progestin or an only progestin. It is a contraceptive that uses hormones to prevent pregnancy times.

Hormonal contraceptives include pill or Depo Provera injection.

Persons take one pill each day. Pill is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy times if taken rightly. However, its typical use is about 92% effective.

The Depo Provera injections are another type of hormonal contraception. It gets an injection every three months. If it gets for injections on time, Depo Provera is more than 99% effective but typically it is 97% effective. 

Anyone needs a prescription for most hormonal birth control methods.

• Both hormones prevent a woman’s ovary from releasing an egg during a cycle.
• Progestins can help to prevent sperm from making the egg by making mucus around a woman’s cervix thick and sticky.

Types of hormonal birth control methods include:

• Birth control pills: It may contain both estrogen and progestin, or only progestin.
• Implants: It is small rods implanted beneath the skin. They can release a continuous dose of hormone to prevent ovulation.
• Progestin injections: Progestin injections such as Depo Provera that are given into the muscles of the upper arm or buttocks once every 3 months.
• Skin patch: Skin patch such as Ortho Evra is placed on shoulder, buttocks or other place on the body. It releases a continuous dose of hormones.
• Vaginal ring: Vaginal ring such as NuvaRing is a flexible ring about 2 inches (5 centimetres) wide. It is placed into the vagina. It releases the hormones progestin and estrogen.

Barrier Methods

Barrier methods stop sperm from entering the vagina. The two barrier methods are:

•  Condoms
•  Internal condoms

Condoms protect against sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy. There are:

• Condoms are a thin latex or polyurethane sheath that male or females use. The male condoms are placed around the erect penis. The female condoms are placed inside the vagina when going to intercourse.
• Condoms can be worn at all times during intercourse to prevent pregnancy.
• Condoms can be bought at any drug and grocery stores. Some family planning clinics offer free condoms. No need for a prescription to get condoms.

Emergency Contraception

There are two parts for emergency contraception: the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) or a copper IUD.

The ECP is approved to be taken up to 3 days after unprotected sex. If any average weight of the ECP is 98% effective. 

If any person weighs more than 70kg of the ECP is less effective and a copper IUD is recommended. If any person weighs more than 70kg and chooses to take ECP if taking a double dose is the right option for persons. The copper IUD can be inserted up to 5 days after unprotected sex and is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.

Emergency contraception can be used to prevent pregnancy that includes:

• Should not used protection
• If normal contraception fails e.g. condom splits
• If missed more than one contraceptive pill
• If vomiting or diarrhea while on the pill
• If missed push injection
• If forced to have sex without contraception.

The ECP as a regular method of contraception is less effective than if we were using a LARC or hormonal method. 

Emergency (or “morning after”) contraception medicine can be bought without a prescription at your drugstore.

IUD (Intrauterine Device) are includes:

• IUD is a small plastic or copper device which is placed inside the woman’s uterus by her provider. Some IUDs release small amounts of progestin. 
• IUDs can be placed at almost any time.
• IUDs are safe and work well. Few women that 1 out of 100 per year will get pregnant using an IUD.
• IUDs release progestin can be for treating heavy menstrual bleeding and reducing cramps. They can also cause periods to stop completely.

Natural Family Planning/ Fertility Awareness

Natural family planning or Fertility awareness is a contraception method where a woman monitors and records various fertility signals during menstrual cycle to work out when she’s likely to get pregnant.

Fertility awareness is learning the signs of fertility in the menstrual cycle help to plan or avoid a pregnancy. Natural family planning is includes:

• Natural family planning is followed correctly that can be up to 99% effective. Example, 1 woman in 100 who uses natural family planning will get pregnant in 1 year.
• Natural family planning is less effective when instructions aren’t carefully followed.
• There are no physical side effects and can use it to plan when you get pregnant.
• To keep a daily record for fertility signals that temperature and fluids coming from the cervix takes 3 to 6 menstrual (monthly) cycles to know the method.
• Fertility signals that may be affected by illness, stress and travel.
• If any person wants to have sex during the time when might get pregnant that need to use contraception such as a condom, diaphragm or cap.
• By using condoms and natural family planning that help to protect from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Natural Family Planning as a works

Natural family planning is identifying the signs and symptoms of fertility during the menstrual cycle that can plan or avoid pregnancy times.

If any person is interested in learning natural family planning, make sure to be taught by a qualified fertility awareness teacher. There are 3 different fertility signals that can monitor and record for natural family planning. It includes:

• The length of menstrual cycle
• Daily readings of body temperature
• Changes to cervical secretions (cervical mucus)

Permanent Contraception

Permanent contraception is sometimes called sterilization to prevent all future pregnancies. It is very difficult or impossible to reverse. Permanent contraception is a vasectomy or a tubal ligation that some women use. 

Permanent methods are best for men, women and couples who feel certain they do not want to have children in the future. They include vasectomy and tubal ligation. Sometimes, these procedures can be reversed if a pregnancy is desired at a later time. The success rate for reversal is not high.

Conclusion

Finally, Family planning is very effective if the world population is in control of birth that cannot increase birth rates or child deaths. It is so most important to know about family planning for contraception methods applying. These methods can be safe money, low cost, social interaction, support education etc.

Reference

• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/natural-family-planning/
• https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44882/9789241503754_eng.pdf?sequence=1
• https://www.familyplanning.org.nz