Many parents dread the proverbial birds and bees talk with their children. But, one of the most important parental duties is to teach kids, particularly girls, how to prevent unwanted pregnancy. The number of options is overwhelming and not all are appropriate for everyone. National Center for Health Statistics (part of the CDC) recently released the report on the most popular methods for pregnancy control in the US.
Most popular options
According to the report, most American women are still opting for the Pill. But, one long-lasting option is finally gaining well-deserved interest – intrauterine devices (IUDs).
More than 60 percents of women reported that they were using some sort of pregnancy control at the time they were interviewed. Most of them, almost 29 percents, were on the Pill. About 27 percents opted for female sterilization and about 11 percents took calculated risk and did not use any control.
While these results were not very different from those obtained in 1995, there is one significant difference. Long-lasting solutions such as IUDs jumped in popularity from modest one percent to more than 6 percents. They were most popular among older white women.
While the reversible long-lasting devices are considered among the most effective pregnancy controls they are not popular among young women, who are in the biggest danger of unwanted pregnancy.
Interestingly, the popularity of condoms dropped from 20 to 16 percents, compared to the previous survey.
The report is based on the information gained from 23,000 women between 15 to 44 years. The interviews were conducted between 2006 and 2010.
The options
In the last ten years the number of options for preventing unwanted pregnancy was increased by several very effective new methods. Some of them are reversible, such as the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device, the hormonal contraceptive ring and patch, two new barrier methods, the hormonal implant and a 91-day cycle oral contraceptives. A new type of female sterilization is one more kind of non-reversible or permanent pregnancy control options available.
According to the article published in the journal Contraception, about half of pregnancies in the US are unplanned. While the schools are doing pretty good job of offering information to teenagers on how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, it is very much up to the parents to inform their daughters about the options available. While the pill is popular because it is convenient and easy to get, there is a lot going for the intrauterine devices, which are among the most effective and easy methods – once inserted, they can be left in place for years.
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