Watch out, these 3 contraceptive methods are not effective at preventing pregnancy & bull; hello healthy

There are many types of contraceptive methods you can choose from if you and your partner don't want to have children yet or don't want any more children. However, in choosing the right contraceptive method, you have to really understand what its properties and potency are like. If you are not careful, pregnancy will still occur even though you have done various ways to prevent it. Each method does have a different level of effectiveness in preventing pregnancy. So, you must know what contraceptive methods are ineffective and which you should avoid because they are less effective. Do not let you and your partner choose the wrong.

What is a contraceptive method?

Before finding out which method is the least effective, you must first understand what is meant by contraceptive methods. Basically, the contraceptive method is an attempt made to prevent the fertilization of an egg by sperm which can lead to pregnancy.

To measure whether a contraceptive method is effective in preventing pregnancy, pregnancy prevalence or comparison is usually used. If out of 100 people who have sex, less than 20 women are found to be pregnant, then the method is considered effective. However, if out of 100 people there are more than 21 women who are pregnant, this method is less or not effective in preventing pregnancy.

Is not having sex at all a contraceptive method?

Not having sex or often called abstinence is a condition in which a person refuses or abstains from sexual behavior. Experts are still debating whether abstinence means abstinence from vaginal penetration or complete abstinence from any behavior of a sexual nature. To be sure, abstinence means that a person does not have sex with another person either for a certain period of time (waiting to get married or finding the right partner) or for an indefinite period of time (for life).

Literally, not having sex can actually prevent pregnancy. However, the goal of not having sex is not always to prevent pregnancy. A person may refuse sexual activity for religious reasons or life principles. In addition, although abstinence is a method of contraception, this method cannot be used as a comparison to other methods because of the nature of abstinence which is definitely effective.

Ineffective contraceptive method

So far, the contraceptive method most often used to delay or prevent pregnancy is the male condom. Apart from condoms, many women also take birth control pills and insert a spiral (IUD). However, some people still use less effective methods to keep pregnancy going. Take a look at the following three ineffective contraceptive methods which have been listed in order from moderately effective to least effective.

1. Ejaculate outside

External ejaculation is also known as the interrupted intercourse method. This method requires the man to pull the penis out of the vagina before ejaculating so that the semen containing sperm will not fertilize the woman's egg. Many use this method as emergency contraception when they are not planning to have sex and do not keep a supply of condoms. In fact, this tactic is not effective in preventing pregnancy. Not all men can easily stop penetration and pull the penis out before it's too late. As a result, the penis will ejaculate in or near the vagina. This is of course the risk of causing conception. The New York Times reported that out of 100 people, a total of 22 women who have sex with interrupted intercourse methods will remain pregnant. This means that the chances of this method being successful in preventing pregnancy are 78%.

2. Calendar system (periodic abstinence)

The calendar system contraceptive method can be used as a counterpart to pregnancy planning. Women can use it to track the menstrual cycle and fertile period so that during the fertile period, women and their partners will abstain from sex until the woman does not ovulate. This method allows couples to have unprotected sex with less chance of pregnancy than unprotected sex at the time of ovulation.

However, this method is less effective as a birth control because calculating the safe period for having sex without contraception is not easy. If you miscalculate even a little, pregnancy can occur. According to data obtained from the Office for Population Research at Princeton University, out of 100 people who have sex with the calendar contraceptive method, 24 will become pregnant. These data suggest that the likelihood that the calendar system will succeed in preventing pregnancy is only 76%.

3. Spermicide

Of all the contraceptive methods you may have heard of or tried, spermicides are the least effective at preventing pregnancy. Spermicide itself contains chemicals that kill sperm cells so they can't fertilize eggs. They come in many forms, from gels, creams, foams, to vaginal-soluble capsules and films. Its use also varies, depending on the type of spermicide used by you and your partner.

As a contraceptive, the success rate of spermicide is very low, namely 74%. This means that out of 100 couples who have sex using the spermicide contraceptive method, there will be 28 women who become pregnant. Spermicides are not practical to use during sex. You have to wait for a while for these chemicals to dissolve in the vagina or stick to the penis completely before penetration is carried out. If it's too late, the sperm cells will stay alive and fertilize the egg. In addition, if sex lasts long enough and the penetration is not just one time, you will have to repeat the use of spermicide because the effect has diminished.

There is also a risk of using an imperfect spermicide, especially if the spermicide is inserted into the vagina. So, you should not use spermicide as the only means of contraception. You can apply it to male or female condoms for better protection.