Almost half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are accidental. This highlights the importance of contraceptive care in giving women the ability to manage their reproductive health.
Correct and consistent usage of contraception is key to reducing the risk of unplanned pregnancy. However, contraceptive care offers many more benefits beyond pregnancy prevention.
Here are five key ways that contraceptive care can empower you to take the reins of your reproductive health:
1. Prevent Unintended Pregnancy
Typically, the risk of pregnancy is high – around 85% over a one-year period – for women who use no contraceptive method. Access to contraceptive care significantly lowers your chances of having an accidental pregnancy.
The full range of contraceptive methods, when used properly and with consistency, work very well at preventing pregnancy.
Long-acting reversible contraceptives or LARCs, such as IUDs and implants, have failure rates of less than 1% with perfect use.
Even shorter-acting methods such as the pill, patch, ring, and shot are over 90% effective with perfect use. And permanent methods such as tubal ligation provide virtually foolproof protection.
Unintended pregnancy can have significant health, social, and economic consequences. It increases risks associated with delayed prenatal care, premature birth, low baby weight, maternal depression, and poor maternal bonding with the newborn.
Unintended pregnancies may prevent women from achieving their educational and career goals. Contraceptive care enables women to prevent unplanned pregnancies so they can avoid these adverse outcomes and have children when the time is right.
2. Space Pregnancies
Health experts recommend that women space their pregnancies at least 18 to 24 months apart. Short intervals between pregnancies negatively impact mom and baby.
For mothers, closely spaced pregnancies increase risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, preeclampsia, and prenatal depression.
For babies, short pregnancy spacing raises risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, and small gestational size – all associated with infant mortality and chronic disease later in life.
By planning pregnancy spacing, contraceptive care promotes optimal health. It empowers women to use birth control to plan the timing between pregnancies.
This enables the body to completely recover and return to pre-pregnancy health before conceiving again. Proper spacing also allows mothers to replenish important nutrients, such as folic acid, that are depleted during pregnancy.
3. Treat Medical Conditions
In addition to spacing births, contraceptive care offers non-contraceptive health benefits. Hormonal birth control methods can treat several conditions unrelated to pregnancy prevention.
For example, combined oral contraceptives (estrogen plus progestin pills) are often prescribed to alleviate menstrual disorders such as heavy or painful periods, irregular cycles, and endometriosis.
The hormones that birth control pills contain can help regulate your periods and reduce symptoms.
Other conditions that can be treated with hormonal contraceptives include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Contraceptives may also be used alongside other medications to treat acne, hirsutism, amenorrhea, menstrual migraines, and uterine fibroids.
This demonstrates the range of gynecological conditions that can be managed through contraceptive care when other treatment options prove ineffective.
4. Avoid Dangers of Pregnancy
For women with certain medical conditions, pregnancy can be risky or even life-threatening. Contraceptives allow women to avoid these dangers by preventing pregnancy altogether.
Conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and breast cancer can seriously endanger the health of the mother and baby during pregnancy.
The health risks may simply be too high for pregnancy to be advisable. Women with these conditions require highly effective contraceptive options.
Contraceptive methods such as sterilization, LARCs, pills, patches, rings, and shots provide the level of protection needed. This gives women control over protecting their health by avoiding pregnancy through contraceptive care.
5. Plan Pregnancies
Contraception enables women the time needed to plan and prepare for pregnancy mentally, physically, and financially. It allows women to achieve educational and career goals before having children.
They can plan to conceive when they have a supportive partner and feel emotionally ready. A planned pregnancy leads to improved nutrition and healthcare, such as folic acid intake and stopping smoking or alcohol use before conceiving.
Contraceptive care puts women in control of the timing of pregnancies so they align with personal circumstances.
Women can thoughtfully plan childbearing for when they have the resources and maturity needed for successful parenting. This leads to positive outcomes for both mother and baby.
Seek Expert Contraceptive Care at Raleigh Gynecology & Wellness
Contraceptive care offers women empowerment over their reproductive health. It enables women to prevent unintended pregnancies, space births appropriately, treat gynecological disorders, avoid pregnancy complications, and thoughtfully plan pregnancies.
Each contraceptive method has its benefits when it comes to improving women’s health and well-being. Raleigh Gynecology & Wellness offers patient-centered contraceptive counseling and care.
We work with you to select the contraceptive method that is in line with your goals for your reproductive health and medical needs.
Contact us today at (919) 636-6670 or schedule an online consultation to take control of your reproductive health through personalized contraceptive care.