There’s a broad range of contraceptive options available in the UK, all with various pros and cons. Different methods will be right for different people at different times in their lives, making it so important to understand your patients’ history, sexual health and contraceptive requirements.
Contraception works in a variety of ways. Some prevent the ovaries releasing an egg each month, or by thickening the mucus at the neck of cervix to help stop sperm from entering. Some, such as condoms, act as a barrier whilst others stop a fertilised egg from implanting in the womb.
The Different Methods Include:
Hormonal Contraception
Hormonal contraceptives use hormones made in a laboratory to alter a woman’s own hormonal balance thus preventing pregnancy. Examples include the combined pill and the mini pill.
Emergency Contraception
If a patient’s usual method of contraception has failed, or no contraception was used at all, emergency contraception can stop pregnancy following unprotected sex. It’s commonly known as the morning after pill.
Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (larc)
these last for a long period of time (often months or years), and may or may not use hormones. one example is the contraceptive implant or the contraceptive injection.
permanent Contraception
This involves surgery to make a permanent change to the patient’s body. This could be sterilisation or a hysterectomy for example.
Natural Family Planning
Natural family planning is when a woman pays close attention to her periods and only has sex when she is least likely to get pregnant. No additional contraception is used, meaning this type of contraception can be risky if not done 100% accurately.
Boost Your Knowledge On All Things Sexual Health With Our Two Online Courses
If you’re a healthcare professional who regularly gives advice to patients about their contraceptive options, you may well find our Primary care provider’s guide to contraception and The ABC of Sexual Health helpful.
Devised specifically for nurses, medical students and other front line health professionals, the guide to contraception course takes one day to complete and is worth 8 hours of CPD. It will be held using Zoom on the 1st October 2020 and will look at how to apply the basics of contraception in a clinical setting.
The ABC of Sexual Health course is just half a day and is worth 3 hours of CPD. Again offered via Zoom on the 2nd October 2020, it’s the perfect chance to gain an overview of sexual health issues, infections and how to discuss sexual history during consultations. This study session provides participants a good grounding of knowledge which they can build on if they plan to specialise in sexual health.
Spaces are being booked now so get in touch and sign up!