I asked twitter and facebook followers what was important to them in an online safer sex store. The responses mostly included free or reasonable shipping costs, wide selection (something they wouldn’t be able to get at the drugstore), discreet shipping, easy to navigate site, and customer reviews. I’ve combined that with my own ideas on what makes a safer sex supplier website great to come up with this review.

What follows is pretty long and feel free to read it. However, if you just want a basic overall review skip to the end.

Condom Selection

They feature a wide selection of condoms and condom brands including Trojan, Durex, Okamoto (you may know these as Beyond Seven and Crown), Lifestyles,  Caution Wear, Contempo, Impulse, Kimono, Night Light, One, Trustex, and Sensis. The selection is definitely much larger than most drugstores (both in your neighborhood and online) and many sex shops, but still smaller than Condomania.

They also sell several variety packs of condoms including by brand, size, and flavored. There is also a super sampler pack of 100 condoms for $29.95 which I imagine leading to a lot of fun.

They have latex and non-latex options which is great, but they prominently feature lambskin condoms without enough warning that they do not protect against STI transmission. Speaking of which, they sell many condoms with Nonoxynol-9 which is a spermicide which has been shown to increase the risk of STI transmission when used often. It does this by irritating the vagina causing small lesions.

Other Safer Sex Supplies

Undercover Condoms also has a wide variety of lube including Astroglide, Durex, Pjur, K-Y, Kama Sutra, Pre, Sliquid, System JO, and Wet. I am happy to report that they do not sell any anal desensitizing lubes. Had they had any I wouldn’t have agreed to do this review.

They also sell 3 different brands of Dental Dams including one that is non-latex.

There are unfortunately no gloves or finger cots offered on the site.

They also sell contraceptive gels, foams, films, and inserts containing spermicide.

There is only one safer sex kit on the site, which I found to be odd since it had it’s own category. I’d like to see a few different kits that included a variety of condoms, lube, dams, and gloves. I’d especially like to see one offered for those who are allergic to latex.

Other Products

Other products include men’s prolonging sprays containing lidocaine which numbs the penis. There are better options to prolong erections and I do not support the use of any sort of numbing agent use during sex.

There are also female arousal gels, sex toys made exclusively by condom manufacturers so most are disposable and of poor quality, 6 educational books that seem to have been chosen at random, massage oils, romance kits, pregnancy tests, ovulation kits, and the most surprising product: Nair.

Product Descriptions

This is the area I found to be most lacking on the site and I really hope they work on this to further develop it. Very few condoms have dimension info, very few lubes and other potions have ingredients listed, and sometimes there is info listed for condoms when that’s not what is being sold. The info given is copy from the condom companies, often exactly what is written on the boxes. That’s fine to include, but I personally prefer to get more information about shape, dimensions, and what makes that condom different from others. Condomania really excels in this department and it’s what I’ve come to expect in all of the websites I buy from and recommend.

Although, I do like the fact that they have a drawing of the shape of the condom which you can click to see other condoms that have a similar shape. Thats a pretty neat and useful feature.

Customer Reviews

Some of you said these were very important to you. I’m not sure I totally agree since all condoms that are approved for sale in the US have to undergo the same rigorous testing, but it can be nice to know what others thought of a product you’re thinking of buying. Maybe I just don’t care because I have a latex allergy and have very few options open to me.

There are customer reviews on the site, but from searching around I didn’t see a single review under 3 stars. This may be because, like I said, condoms undergo the same testing so you’re probably either going to love it or think it’s just ok because you didn’t catch anything but you didn’t think it was the best thing to ever go on/in your body. Either way, I’d take these reviews with a grain of salt.

Prices

This may be your best reason for shopping from Undercover Condoms. Their prices are pretty damn awesome. I didn’t price check everything because no one has that much time, but I did check several different brands and types of products comparing them to drugstore.com, Walgreens.com, and Condomania. In general, Undercover Condoms were less expensive than Walgreens and Condomania. The prices were pretty comparable to drugstore.com with some products being more expensive in one place or the other.  But Undercover Condoms had a better selection than both drugstore sites.

The prices get even better when you consider Undercover Condoms loyalty program which gives you 10% of your purchase back to be used towards future purchases. You can either use your rewards dollars right away or save them up to get free stuff. They do expire after 1 year though.  And the more you buy, the less you pay. Many condoms have a choice of buying 100 at a time for a big discount.

This is the cheapest place I’ve found to buy Female Condoms. Stock up now!

Shipping

Undercover Condoms ships discreetly in a plain white box or envelope with the company name in the return address as PCPD, LLC. Unless your neighbors or mail carrier order from the same company, you have no worries about them knowing what is being delivered. They also offer online order tracking so that it’s easier to intercept your package if you live with nosy relatives or roommates.

Shipping costs are very reasonable. If you purchase more than $29 in products you receive free shipping, otherwise their cheapest option is just $2.95.

Education

This is always an important one to me. I believe that sexuality retailers need to educate the population because there is so much misinformation out there. Undercover Condoms does have a decent education page. However, it is so difficult to find that it might as well not be there at all.

Overall Site Design & Navigation

The site is clean and easy to navigate from the time you first arrive through the checkout process. With the exception of the education page, most pages are easy to find and understand.

There are always improvements that could be made for navigation and design and I would like to see a little stronger search functions, but that’s my main criticism of most sites.

I found very few broken links in my searches which is extremely important for the shopping experience and I liked how I always received suggestions based on what I was currently viewing.

Return Policy

I’m actually not totally clear on this because I found different information in a couple of places. There is a 30 day guarantee, but I’m unsure of whether or not the product can be opened or not. You may want to contact customer service if you are at all worried about wanting to return a product if you are not satisfied. They do take back all damaged goods. Returns are actually exchanges for other products or store credit. No money will be returned.

If you buy wholesale (cases of 1,000 only) then they do not accept returns on opened boxes.

Other

During the month of December $1 of every order is donated to AIDS prevention and research which is a good cause for sure. However, it only goes to help residents in Ohio which is where the company is located. Being that the internet is an international store I’d like to see that donation going to a more international, or at least national, source.

Undercover Condoms accepts all major credit cards as well as PayPal. Their site is McAfee secure and Verisign verified.If you are not buying in the US it is very easy to change currency type to pounds, euros, Canadian dollars, or Japanese yen so that you know what you’re paying before you buy it.

All orders over $49 receive a 5 pack of disposable vibrating cock rings and all orders receive a 3 pack of Undercover Condoms brand condoms.

Contact info is clearly displayed in many locations making it easy to get a hold of the company if necessary. Never shop from a website that doesn’t clearly display contact info.

There is a blog, but it is not updated too often. They also have Facebook and Twitter accounts but do not have much of a following.

Overall Thoughts

The website is clean and easy to navigate. The selection is large and the prices are very good especially if you participate in their rewards program. Shipping is cheap to free and very discreet. Descriptions need work so if you want to learn more about the condoms visit Condomania, but buy from here because it’s cheaper. If you use Female Condoms then by god stock up here! There are some dental dams, but no gloves or finger cots. Lube is usually more expensive though so get that elsewhere unless you can’t get free shipping from those other places. Don’t buy any numbing products for sex ever. Educational aspects of the site are lacking mostly because they are not easily found. I would like to see those featured more prominently. If you want customer reviews, they are here, but I’m not sure how trustworthy they are since I didn’t find any under 3 stars.

Shop at Undercover Condoms.

*Edit* Their Reaction

I opened my email this morning to find a message from Undercover Condoms.

The review looks great and we appreciate your honesty. I think there’s several actionable items we’ll review internally to see if we can improve the visitor and buying experience. I think the health section and added information for lambskin and non-oxynol 9 products will be a priority.

Thanks much!

Disclaimer: I received payment and products in exchange for my time reviewing this site. My opinion is my own and was not influenced by the payment I received.

====================
This post, Website Review: Undercover Condoms, originally appeared on Ask Garnet on 12/13/2010. Click over to leave a comment or ask a question: Website Review: Undercover Condoms. Thanks for visiting!
====================

A: For those who do not know, VCF is Vaginal Contraceptive Film. It is a small, thin, transluscent square that a woman inserts inside of her vagina. After about 15 minutes the sheet melts and coats the cervix with spermicide. It’s kind of like those mint strips you put in your mouth to freshen your breath, but for your vag to keep you from getting pregnant. It is not effective against STIs, and may actually increase your risk, which I will get into later.

The efficacy rates for pregnancy prevention are about 74% for normal use, 94% for perfect use. When paired with condoms the efficacy rate gets up to about 97%. When I say normal use vs. perfect use what I mean is that people screw shit up and don’t always do it right. In general, the more often you use something the better you get at it. So that 74% tends to be for the first year that you use a new method and your efficacy goes up from there. When I say 94% for perfect use that means how effective it is if you use it the correct way every time

You say that it sounds like it might be better because you won’t have to stop to put on a condom. However, you still have to stop to put in the VCF and then wait 15 minutes to make sure it is effective. So unless you plan ahead you will still be stopping and possibly stopping and waiting. And you may not want to plan ahead in this case unless you’re absolutely positive that you’ll be having sex later and this is why …

Nonoxynol-9

VCF is made from Nonoxynol-9 which is a spermicide. It is a very effective spermicide as it immobilizes sperm on contact. However, in such a delicate ecosystem as the vagina you might imagine that there could be some issues. If you use Nonoxynol-9 sparingly there shouldn’t be much of an issue if you’re in a monogamous disease-free relationship unless you are prone to infection. However, the more often you use it the more your vagina is exposed to this harsh chemical. And the more it is exposed to it the more likely you are to actually get vaginal lesions. For people who are not in monogamous disease-free relationships, this means an increased likelihood of contracting an STI especially HIV and HPV.

Like I said, it’s relatively safe if you’re not using it often, which is why you shouldn’t use it unless you are 99.9% sure that you’re about to get it on.

But there’s also the issue of oral sex. Say you and your partner have been having a grand old time fucking away and you just feel this need to have his cock in your mouth. Well now his cock is probably covered in spermicide and will taste not so good and will quite possibly numb your mouth a bit. Or maybe he’s been finger fucking you and rubbing your clit and then he just has to taste you … same thing. Genitals don’t taste so good with nonoxynol-9 all over them and they’ll also make your lips go numb and possibly your tongue.

This is precisely why I said 15 minutes of waiting. Sure you can makeout and feel each other up, but finger fucking and oral sex may make things less pleasant.

Conclusion

So VCF is decent at preventing pregnancy, especially when combined with other birth control methods, but it should be used sparingly and you may not want to put your mouths anywhere near anything that’s been put in your vagina. It’s a great options for some, and not so great for others.

Here is a how-to video provided from the makers of a VCF:

====================
This post, Vaginal Contraceptive Film, originally appeared on Ask Garnet on 08/29/2010. Click over to leave a comment or ask a question: Vaginal Contraceptive Film. Thanks for visiting!
====================

The Sexist points to a recent study (giant pdf) done by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy which surveyed single Americans aged 18-29 asking them about their perceptions of contraception. It turns out that women don’t know too much and men know even less.

Twenty-eight percent of young men think that wearing two condoms at a time is more effective than just one. Twenty-five percent think that women can prevent pregnancy by douching after sex. Eighteen percent believe that they can reduce the chance of pregnancy by doing it standing up.
For the most part, men lagged behind women on the pregnancy prevention front. And when the study dipped into the realm of “female” forms of birth control, the gender divide intensified. In the study, 29 percent of men and 32 percent of women reported that they know “little or nothing about condoms.” When asked to rate their knowledge of birth control pills, 78 percent of men reported to be clueless, compared to 45 percent of women.

To really drive the level of stupidity home, the article shares anecdotes from women with clueless boyfriends not understanding how the NuvaRing works (“how is it going to catch my semen?”) or even how women’s bodies work (can you shower on your period while not wearing a tampon?). They point to the lack of sex education and knowledge of women’s bodies as the problem here and I have to agree strongly.

The next study done by the Kinsey Institute shows that Americans can’t even agree on what sex is. The study was a survey of 486 mostly heterosexual 18-96 year olds. They asked a series of questions involving different sexual acts and then asked them if it was sex. “Would you say you ‘had sex’ with someone if the most intimate behavior you engaged in was [blank]?”

“two out of ten people did not concur that penile-anal intercourse was sex, and three out of ten said ‘no’ to oral-genital activity, as did half of the respondents about manual-genital contact.” And, while 95 percent classified penile-vaginal penetration as sex (one has to wonder what does count for the remaining 5 percent), that number dropped to 89 percent in cases where the man doesn’t ejaculate.

You have to wonder if this is part of why people are so clueless about safer sex and birth control. If we can’t even decide on what sex is then how can we adequately protect ourselves? And hell that’s why Gold Star Lesbians are still considered virgins by so many mainstream folks. I mean, how can queer sex even exist at all within these kinds of definitions? Its no wonder so many people so offensively ask how two women can have sex.

It reminds me of when I lost my virginity. I had a pretty traditional view of losing one’s virginity at the age of 17 and yet my boyfriend at the time still considered himself to be a virgin even after we had, what I considered to be, sex. His penis went in my vagina and he broke my hymen. It hurt. There was no real thrusting or orgasms that night. But I thought I’d lost my virginity. According to him though, neither of us had.

Can we please stop with the abstinence only education already? It does NOT work! We all have a right to know how to take care of our bodies and learning about sex is a huge part of that.

====================
This post, Why We So Desperately Need Good Sex Ed, originally appeared on Ask Garnet on 03/06/2010. Click over to leave a comment or ask a question: Why We So Desperately Need Good Sex Ed. Thanks for visiting!
====================

Today is the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the 5th annual Blog for Choice event. For the Past 5 years NARAL has been asking bloggers questions related to the right to choose in order to raise awareness for reproductive rights and ask what they mean to us. This year’s question is:

In honor of Dr. George Tiller, who often wore a button that simply read, “Trust Women,” this year’s Blog for Choice question is:
What does Trust Women mean to you?

To me, trusting women is about understanding that we can make our own informed decisions. We do not need to be coddled. We do not need to be told misinformation in order to make the “right decision.” We do not need to be forced to look at ultrasounds of the fetus to make a decision that we’ve already thought long and hard about. We do not need to be ordered by a court to do what is best for us and our families. If kids are given comprehensive sex education they will be given the tools with which to make informed decisions about sex and family planning. Women will have the ability to prevent unwanted pregnancies and to plan families if and when they want to. We need to help women to be able to make the right decisions for them by helping everyone to be educated about sex and sexuality.

I also think that part of trusting women is listening to their stories and having more women coming forward with them (if they so choose) to show that they make hard decisions that are right for them. Abortion especially is so demonized and we normally only talk about it in terms of rape or incest cases, but what about the rest of the women out there who get them? So many women feel like they can’t come out and share their stories because they do not want to be demonized or judged for making a decision that was right for them. That was why I shared my story back in August soon after Dr. Tiller’s murder. Read it here.

Related reading:
1. STIs and Sexual Responsibility
2. Contraception
3. Can you Get Pregnant from the Withdrawal Method?

====================
This post, Trust Women, originally appeared on Ask Garnet on 01/22/2010. Click over to leave a comment or ask a question: Trust Women. Thanks for visiting!
====================

My story isn’t a pretty packaged story about how I was a victim of incest or rape. Not that these stories are ever pretty, but they are the ones that so often come to view when we are talking about women who need to be able to have abortions. The stories of innocence lost. The women who “deserve” to have a pregnancy terminated. What about the rest of us? We all need control over our own bodies.

I expect that a lot of people won’t agree with my decisions. And I also expect that there may be some backlash because of it. But I refuse to hide when the people who are trying to help women are being murdered.

I tell this story from a sex positive viewpoint; the idea that there is nothing inherently evil about sex. In fact there is a lot of good in it, but there are risks as well.

When I was 18 I was a typical teenager. I thought I was invincible. I thought that nothing bad could happen. And so, even though I knew full well what the consequences were, I had unprotected sex with my boyfriend. I was not a victim of abstinence-only education, I had comprehensive sex ed starting in 5th grade. I was also raised in a sex positive household where information about sex and condoms were always available. I did know better. But I was in love and the sex was fantastic.

What I didn’t know was that I was with a young man who was also extremely fertile, as many 18 year olds are. He hadn’t told me that he had gotten two other women pregnant before me. And he definitely should have known better. But we’re both to blame for what happened. A couple of months before my 19th birthday I got pregnant.

I had always thought that if I got pregnant before I was ready that I would have an abortion. It would be an easy decision. When it actually happened I was struck by how difficult the decision actually was. After all, this life had been created out of love.

After thinking about it for a few weeks though I knew that it was the right decision. I had not been planning on bringing a baby into the world and was smoking at the time. Not a great way to start a pregnancy. My mom, a very supportive woman in general, refused to support me emotionally or financially if I chose to have the child. My boyfriend whom I loved dearly, all of a sudden disappeared when I became pregnant. I had my whole life ahead of me. And even dedicating 9 months to pregnancy was a burden my body could not handle. The first couple months that I did go through were awful and I knew it would only get worse. My body has always had issues with health and pain.

I did not know how to go about seeking an abortion. I am so incredibly lucky that it all turned out as well as it did considering I was doing my research via the yellow pages and, being a broke teenager, cost was my main concern. Had I lived in the Bible Belt instead of a suburb of Chicago I’m sure I would have ended up talking to a crisis center that would’ve misinformed me about pregnancy and abortion. And in my relatively fragile state, that would have been very difficult to deal with.

Ten days after my 19th birthday my best friend took me to a women’s reproductive health clinic. There were lots of women with boyfriends in the waiting room. I was the only one with my best friend.

I don’t really remember much of that day except for having a difficult time peeing in the cup, accidentally stepping on a button on the floor in the operating room that made a loud noise, waking up in another room with my underwear back on, and my best friend taking care of me that evening (mmm Blue’s Clues macaroni and cheese). But it all went pretty well.

As the years went on I became pretty loyal to Planned Parenthood. I really wish I had gotten the procedure there, but I’m happy that it went well. Planned Parenthood has been there for me through thick and thin. They’ve helped me through condom breakage, STI testing, genital warts, pap smears, putting me on the pill to prevent pregnancy, and then keeping me on it to prevent ovarian cysts. They’ve been there when I’ve cried, they’ve laughed at my jokes, and they’ve been non-judgmental of my lifestyle choices. They’ve been like a really good friend to me. And as a good friend I’ve tried my best to give back as well. I’ve donated time and money to them. I ran the local college campus chapter of VOX (Planned Parenthood’s student outreach) and I’ve worked as an escort keeping myself between women entering and leaving the clinic and those who did not agree with why they thought those women were there. I will always support Planned Parenthood and I hope that they are always able to support me.

====================
This post, My Story, originally appeared on Ask Garnet on 08/28/2009. Click over to leave a comment or ask a question: My Story. Thanks for visiting!
====================

====================
This post, Really Important!, originally appeared on Ask Garnet on 08/14/2008. Click over to leave a comment or ask a question: Really Important!. Thanks for visiting!
====================

Most questions I receive don’t phase me, but this one got me. In fact I often don’t even answer questions right away when I get them, but I think this one deserves a quick answer.

Yes, you can get pregnant from the withdrawal method. This method is far from fool proof. When a man gets an erection a clear fluid leaks out of his urethra. This is called precum and it can have sperm in it. This can get you pregnant. Also, a lot of guys, especially the younger and/or more inexperienced ones, don’t have the control or the body awareness to be able to pull out before ejaculation. This can definitely result in pregnancy.

And then there are all the possible infections and/or diseases you can contract from unprotected sex. Just genital to genital contact is enough for a lot of stuff to be contagious.

So please PLEASE go out and get yourself some condoms. Also go to the doctor and get yourself tested for any STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) and get yourself a pregnancy test.

And for those of you out there who are committed to remaining virgins: this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still be prepared. The heat of the moment happens and it is better for you to have safer sex gear (condoms, lube, dental dams, gloves) on hand just in case. Please be safe and have fun.

====================
This post, Can you get pregnant from the withdrawal method?, originally appeared on Ask Garnet on 07/02/2008. Click over to leave a comment or ask a question: Can you get pregnant from the withdrawal method?. Thanks for visiting!
====================

Thanks Garnet

Let me preface this with saying I am not a doctor. Your best bet is to talk to someone who is. That being said however, I do have to say that there is a very good chance that your migraines are caused by the pill. There are a lot of side effects to hormonal birth control that a lot of us don’t think about since its a pill that is taken every day. Afterall how are you supposed to know the difference if you’re never off of it?

Now, I don’t know what you mean exactly by asking if you need the hormones anymore. If you’re talking specifically about birth control then there are non-hormonal methods on the market. The IUD is even as reliable as the pill if not more so since you don’t have to remember to take it. But I would only recommend an IUD if you’re in a longterm monogamous relationship as there can be severe complications if you contract an STI.

If you’re talking about needing hormones for other things like regulating your cycle or relieving severe menstrual cramps then the only way to know is by going off hormones to see if your cycle is still really haywire or if your cramps are as bad as they used to be.

If you’re talking about needing hormones to prevent anything like ovarian cysts or endometriosis then you should consult a doctor. They may decide to take you off the hormones for a period of time and watch you carefully to see if you do in fact need them. But only a doctor will have the tools to do so.

While hormonal birth control can have many benefits there can also be health risks especially as you get older. At 27 you don’t have to worry too much, but once you start nearing 35 the risks go up. So that’s something you should keep in mind as you start this process.

====================
This post, Hormonal Birth Control, originally appeared on Ask Garnet on 05/21/2008. Click over to leave a comment or ask a question: Hormonal Birth Control. Thanks for visiting!
====================

As a biologist I know a fair amount, but I’m sure you have more specific knowledge of this than I do, so I thought I’d ask the expert.

Before they decide to go on an alternative form of birth control they should both get tested to find out if they are both disease free and keep in mind that 1. Sometimes certain STIs won’t show up on a test for 6 months after it has been contracted and 2. There are some STIs that may not have tests like HPV in men and some STIs that aren’t automatically tested for like herpes. When they go in to get tested they need to specifically tell the doctor/nurse that they want to be tested for HIV and Herpes as well.

If they are both clean then they can start thinking about what kind of birth control she wants to be on. There are several on the market, some are more effective than others and some have more side effects than others. Any hormonal forms of birth control are going to have more side effects than non-hormonal forms, but they will also be more effective. If a woman is over 35 or smokes she should not use hormonal forms of birth control as they increase the risk of blood clots and stroke.

First, the hormonal forms:
The most used form of birth control in the US is The Pill. There are many many different brands of pills out there with different hormone dosages. Finding the right one can be difficult, but worth it to find one that works well with a woman’s body chemistry. The goal is to find the pill with the least amount of side effects that actually makes life easier, not more difficult. A woman’s doctor or nurse should work with her to find the right dosage. Some possible side effects include: nausea, weight gain, fatigue, moodyness, loss of sexual desire, depression. The Pill is about 99% effective when used correctly. If you cannot remember to take your pills at the same time every day then they will not be anywhere near as effective. They are also less effective if you take St John’s Wart or are on antibiotics.

If you cannot remember to take your pills every day at the same time there are a few other options. The NuvaRing is a small plastic ring that a woman inserts into her vagina that emits a low dosage of hormones. The ring is kept in place for 3 weeks and then on the fourth week the woman must take it out to allow for her period. After that week is over she puts in a new ring. The NuvaRing is just as effective as The Pill if used correctly and also has the same side effects. This option should not be used if a woman is at all squeamish about touching her genitals or feeling around inside of her vagina. It may also be more expensive than The Pill and is not covered under a lot of insurance plans.

Another option is The Patch, Ortho Evra. This is a patch that is placed on the body for a week at a time for 3 weeks, with a week off for your period. The patch sends hormones through your skin and into your blood system. The patch has more estrogen in it than The Pill and may cause more side effects because of that. It is as effective as The Pill if used correctly. There is risk of The Patch falling off if a woman leads an active (read: sweaty) lifestyle and if this is not noticed right away it can increase risk of pregnancy. The Patch can also cause irritation to the skin where it is applied.

Another option is Depo Provera. This is a shot that the woman gets once every three months. If a woman has a difficult time remembering to do the above three options then depo may be a good option. However, depo is in your bloodstream for 3 months, which means that you are stuck with any bad side effects that you may have for three whole months. This can be unbearable for some women. Depo is, however, very effective since there is very little risk of human error. It is about 99% effective.

There are two types of IUD (Intrauterine Device), hormonal and non-hormonal. The hormonal type is in the shape of a small T, is made out of plastic, and releases progesterone into the body, which thickens the cervical mucus making it difficult for sperm to reach the egg and also by changing the lining of the uterus so that a fertilized egg cannot implant. The device is inserted by a doctor and can be used up to a year. It is 98% effective, but should only be used by women in longterm monogamous relationships as the IUD can cause severe complications if the woman contracts an STI. This caution should also be noted for the non-hormonal IUD as well as the IUS, which follows.

The Intrauterine System (IUS) is very similar to an IUD but the big difference is that it releases a small amount of the hormone levonorgestrel into the body that thickens the cervical mucus which makes it difficult for the sperm to reach the egg. It has to be placed into the uterus by a doctor and stays in for up to 5 years. The IUS is 99% effective.

Non-hormonal options:
The diaphragm, like the condom, is a barrier method, which means that it blocks the sperm. Unlike a condom though, the diaphragm is put into the vagina, covering the cervix so sperm can get into the vagina, but not into the uterus or fallopian tubes. Diaphragms need to be fitted by a doctor and they are a lot less effective than hormonal methods. The chance for human error is also greater. Diaphragms should be used with a spermicide, which makes them more effective, but spermicides can also be harmful to the delicate tissues of a woman’s vagina. Diaphragms with spermicide are about 86-94% effective. If a woman chooses this method she should not feel squeamish about touching her genitals or reaching inside of her vagina.

The cervical cap is a lot like the diaphragm, but instead of simply covering the cervix, it is fitted to snuggly cap the end of the cervix. The cervical cap should also be used with a spermicide and is about 84-91% effective, but that effectiveness goes down if the woman has previously given birth.

The sponge is a soft disk shaped device made out of polyurethane foam and contains the spermicide, nonoxynol-9. As stated above, spermicide can cause harm to the tissues inside of the vagina. It doesn’t effect all women, but if a woman has had problems in the past she should not use this method or any of the non-hormonal methods mentioned above. The sponge is a bit easier to remove than the cervical cap, diaphragm, and NuvaRing because it does have a small loop attached for ease of pulling it out. But if a woman is at all squeamish about touching her genitals, she should still not use this method. The sponge is about 84-91% effective depending on correct usage, but that effectiveness goes down if the woman has previously given birth.

The IUD, or intrauterine device, is a small t-shaped copper device that is placed into the uterus by a doctor and left for up to 12 years. This device is very effective and there are a few theories as to why exactly. Some include the device’s material and some include the shape of it. But basically what any woman needs to know is that it prevents pregnancy by making it practically impossible for a fertilized egg to implant itself in the lining of the uterus. It is about 99% effective. This device should only be used by women in longterm monogamous relationships for the same reason as described above for the hormonal IUD and the IUS.

The last 2 non-hormonal methods are the Rhythm Method and the Withdrawal Method and I really advise against both unless you are a couple who doesn’t particularly want to get pregnant, but wouldn’t mind it if it happened. These are methods that should never be used by young people as they do not have enough self control. The rhythm method is when a couple only has sex when a woman is least likely to get pregnant. The withdrawal method is when the man withdraws his penis from the woman’s vagina right before he ejaculates so that he does not get any sperm into her vagina. Neither of these methods are very effective, but can increase the effectiveness of any of the methods listed above.

====================
This post, Contraception, originally appeared on Ask Garnet on 03/31/2008. Click over to leave a comment or ask a question: Contraception. Thanks for visiting!
====================