Female Speaker: You have had your baby. Now its time to think about when or if you want another one unless your answer is yes and right away that means considering contraception.
Female Speaker: Dr. Michelle Yvette Francis, OB/GYN and Director of Student Education at St. Luke's Rooevelt Hospital says to take it easy the first six weeks after giving birth.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: If you are somebody that just had a baby or two weeks' postpartum, you probably should not be having sex at all because your cervix is still potentially open. There is a potential for an infection to be getting into the uterine cavity. So we do recommend that patients wait until they see the doctor at their six weeks' visit before they start having sex.
Female Speaker: If you are breast feeding you maybe able to put off using contraception for up to six months.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: It definitely offer some benefits so long as you are breast feeding every two to three hours and you are not giving any supplementation. No formula. No juice. No water because it is the every two to three hours of breast feeding that prevents ovulation.
Female Speaker: But Dr. Francis says there are some forms of contraception that are safe to begin as soon as 72 hours after you deliver even if you are breastfeeding.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: There is progesterone only pill that we recommend to patients who are trying to prevent pregnancy in their nursing. The Implanon rather you put in that has progesterone only and this also can be used during when you are lactating and also the Depo-Provera which is also known as the shot. It is something that you have to come to your physician's office to get but you do get contraceptive benefits for 12 weeks at a time with each ejection.
Female Speaker: Another safe option whether or not your nursing is the intrauterine device or IUD.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: Both IUDs are excellent forms of contraception for women that are breast feeding or not breast feeding and all depends on what your childbearing wishes are in the future.
Female Speaker: An IUD is inserted into the uterus where it can remain for up to 10 years.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: There are two major types of IUDs. There is one with hormones insured and the other one is without hormones. This is the one that has no hormones. It's a soft plastic T and it's got a copper coil around the base of it and little two copper sheets on the T part of the IUD and this has to be placed into the uterus at your doctor's office and then my other favorite is, the brand name is called the Mirena. And the difference between this and the copper T contraception is that this T has a hormone in it, it is progesterone that is part of the actual T itself.
Female Speaker: There is also the standard condom.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: We all know what this is. Everybody has heard of it. It is the only form of contraception that is available that prevents sexually transmitted disease. When you use it with spermicide; it is about 92% to 95% effective and without spermicide it is a little bit less.
Female Speaker: And for females, the diaphragm.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: This has to go into a woman's vagina and over her cervix. The diaphragm has a cup and it has got a like a rubber firm ring on the inside and it has covered a latex, so if you have a latex allergy; this might not be the best form of contraception for you. This should be put in well before intercourse about two hours before you have sex. You put about a tablespoons worth of spermicide into the diaphragm. You have to squeeze it and put it into the vagina, again make sure that it covers the cervix. This needs to be fitted at your medical doctor or nurse practitioner's office before using.
Female Speaker: But don't use your pre-baby diaphragm without seeing your healthcare provider first.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: The cervix never goes back to where it is. If you use the diaphragm before you got pregnant, had a baby and then you come back, you can't use the same diaphragm and if you do you have to and make sure you get fitted by the doctor or by your nurse practitioner whomever is you are consulting with to make sure that it is fitted properly.
Female Speaker: Another option is a contraceptive sponge like this one. A woman inserts it deep into her vagina where it acts as a sperm barrier, while also releasing spermicide, but be careful once you have had a baby, this little sponge might not work as well as it did before.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: The contraceptive effectiveness does decrease if you have had a child vaginally versus not. So if you have never had a baby before and you use it, you know the typical failure rate which means that you are using it like a human being and you make mistakes and you are not doing it perfectly. About 16 out of every 100 women over the course of a year that use this will get pregnant, whereas if you had a baby before about 32 out of 100 women will get pregnant using this form of contraception.
Female Speaker: Once you are finished breast feeing, you may decide to switch contraceptive methods.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: If you have started on a birth control pill that is progesterone only, I would recommend changing it after you decide to stop breast feeding.
Female Speaker: Hormonal contraceptives that contain both estrogen and progesterone are safe to begin anywhere from six weeks to six months after you give birth depending on your physician's recommendation.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: There are hormonal forms of contraception and that can come in the form of a pill and come in the form of a ring, vaginal contraceptive ring. There is a contraceptive patch and there is also a new contraceptive device called the Implanon. It is a hormonal implant that you could put into your arm and protects you against pregnancy for up to three years.
With so many options, there is something for every lifestyle. Your healthcare provider can help you choose the right one for you.
Dr. Lisa Masterson: The best form of birth control for women is the one that they are going to use and one that they are going to use regularly and effectively.
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