How to Effectively and Safely Prevent Pregnancy: A Concern for Many, Not Just Couples
Gynecologist Dr. Zhang Yuqin from Cathay Hsinchu Hospital (Taiwan, China) emphasizes that effective and safe contraception is crucial for everyone, whether they are planning to have children or not. Even if you are looking forward to becoming a parent, it’s important to understand what can hinder you, what behaviors may harm reproductive health, or interfere with conception.
“In addition to common contraceptive methods such as using condoms, taking birth control pills, having an IUD, or getting a vasectomy, more and more people are sharing unusual methods of contraception. These may be based on personal experiences or hearsay, and their effectiveness can vary widely. Implementing these methods may carry unforeseen health risks,” Dr. Zhang adds.
Among these, she identifies four contraception methods widely practiced and shared, especially among younger couples, that are actually ineffective or have very low effectiveness. These are:
1. Calendar Method
The calendar method considers safe days as times when ovulation has not yet occurred or when the egg is no longer viable, suggesting that if sexual intercourse occurs during this time, the chance of pregnancy is very low (under 10%). This is a natural, safe, and cost-effective method, but its effectiveness is quite low. Furthermore, it heavily depends on the health status of the individual and the accuracy of tracking dates.
Dr. Zhang explains: “Even if you calculate carefully to have intercourse on a safe day, the risk of pregnancy with this method remains relatively high. Sperm can survive in the body for about 5 days, and an egg can live for 3 days. Additionally, modern humans often experience menstrual irregularities due to stress and lifestyle factors, so there remains a significant chance of unintended pregnancy even when using mobile apps to track safe days.”
The calendar method is a low-effectiveness contraceptive tip affected by many factors. (Illustrative image)
2. Withdrawal Method
The withdrawal method is a popular contraception choice among many young couples. They believe it allows for satisfaction without the use of condoms while avoiding the risk of pregnancy by preventing sperm from entering the female body.
However, this is not an effective method of contraception and carries extremely high risks. Dr. Zhang states: “Men release pre-ejaculatory fluid before ejaculation, which can contain a small amount of sperm and may lead to pregnancy for women. During intercourse, this fluid can enter the female body.”
“More importantly, withdrawing during intercourse only limits the number of sperm that meet the egg, not entirely preventing it. Therefore, even with withdrawal, there remains a high chance of pregnancy, especially if the actions are delayed or not decisive.”
3. Douching After Intercourse
“Many believe that douching with water or other liquids after intercourse can prevent pregnancy, but in reality, it does not work as a contraceptive and can even cause vaginal infections,” warns Dr. Zhang.
The structure of the female vagina and uterus makes it “easy for sperm to enter but hard to leave.” Sperm cannot be flushed out through douching, nor can it be completely removed. Moreover, after intercourse, the female body is often more vulnerable, and immediate exposure to water is not beneficial for health.
The most harmful aspect is that douching itself is detrimental to female reproductive health. Douching with a showerhead, spray, or solutions poses many risks, potentially harming reproductive function and increasing the risk of gynecological diseases. A study in the U.S. in 2016 also found that women who regularly douche were significantly associated with HPV infections and cervical cancer.
4. Using Two Condoms Simultaneously
If you think that wearing two or more condoms at the same time enhances contraceptive effectiveness, you are mistaken. Instead of being safer, it diminishes the inherent functionality of the condom, leading to reduced pleasure and discomfort for men while lowering contraceptive effectiveness.
“Using one condom during sexual intercourse is sufficient to protect you and your partner safely. Therefore, there is no need to wear two condoms because the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. Wearing two condoms increases the likelihood of tearing due to friction between the two layers, inadvertently reducing the effectiveness of both condoms. The reason is that when you use a condom, there is always some lubricant applied on the outside. If you stack two condoms, there will be no lubricant between them. When the two layers of condoms rub against each other, there is a high risk of tearing. If one tears, both will tear,”” Dr. Zhang emphasizes.
