| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After using a diaphragm, wash it with mild soap and warm water. To maintain effectiveness, diaphragms must not have holes or cracks. Holding it up to the light or filling it with water are two ways you can check the condition of your diaphragm. Oil-based creams, including some vaginal medications, can damage diaphragms, so avoid contact with those materials. Since it can be hard to tell how much spermicide is left in a tube, it's a good idea to keep an extra package on hand. Pregnancy and weight changes can affect the way a diaphragm fits. It is recommended that a medical provider check the fit of a diaphragm every few years. Women who have gained or lost more than ten pounds, have had vaginal surgery, or given birth may need a new size. Diaphragms are not recommended for women who have had Toxic Shock Syndrome.
If you or your partner have any discomfort when the diaphragm is in place or if you experience genital itching or irritation, unusual vaginal discharge or frequent bladder infections, call the clinic for information and options. Bladder infections are the most frequent side effect of the diaphragm. Some women may experience allergic reactions to the rubber of the diaphragm or the spermicide they use. If this happens and your spermicide has nonoxynol-9, try a spermicide without this chemical.
Emergency Contraception (The "Morning After" Pill - "Plan B" - "EC") You can prevent pregnancy after sexual intercourse by taking Emergency Contraception pills (Plan B). Plan B works by giving the body a short burst of synthetic hormones that disrupt the hormone patterns needed for a pregnancy to start. Some types of regular birth control pills will work. Emergency Contraception is most effective 24-48 hours after unprotected intercourse but it can work for several days. To find a clinic, doctor or pharmacy close to you, call the nationwide Emergency Contraception Hotline at 1-800-584-9911, 24 hours a day in English or Spanish (also at 1-888-NOT-2-LATE and ec.princeton.edu). If you already have birth control pills in your possession, ask the hotline how to use them as emergency contraception. Or call our clinics at 800-572-4223 and ask how to use the birth control pills you already have to prevent pregnancy after sex. In Washington State you can get Plan B directly from your pharmacy without first getting a prescription from a doctor. Call ahead to make sure they have it in stock and a trained person available to give it to you. Women's health activists are working to make Plan B available over-the-counter nationwide so that one day soon you could purchase it at your neighborhood drug store. Some women are buying Plan B in advance (it costs around $35-40) so they will have it on hand if they need.
The cervix is the opening to the uterus where menstrual blood, babies, and sperm pass. It is also the opening through which abortions are performed. Barrier methods of birth control, including the diaphragm, cervical cap, and female condom, work by covering the cervix and preventing sperm from entering the uterus. Hormonal methods of birth control, including oral contraceptives, Implanon, Depo Provera, and Lunelle, affect the mucus around the cervix and make the opening more resistant to sperm. Women's bodies also naturally produce hormones that change the cervix during a menstrual cycle. You can learn more about your cervix using a speculum to perform a self-exam.
July 2, 2008 |
|
|
