Thirty people struggling to roll condoms onto brown spotted bananas is the image that is commonly related to sex ed, but that doesn’t happen at the Sexual Health Info Session at Student Health Services. The Women’s Clinic offers low-cost gynecological exams, pregnancy testing, sexually transmitted diseases screenings and emergency contraception to students.
“”All of the staff members are female, and exams are always completely confidential, even for students under 18,”” said Suzanne Ward, manager of the Women’s Clinic and nurse practitioner with a specialty in family planning and/or gynecology.
According to Planned Parenthood, 85 percent of women who use no contraceptives during intercourse become pregnant each year. There are many new forms of birth control available that make it easy to avoid this situation.
Male condoms are the easiest form of contraception to access, available at most drug stores, in vending machines or at Student Health Services for $3 a dozen. A newer option, the female condom, is only 79 percent effective, though they have the benefit of offering the same protection from STDs that male condoms do. The female condom is available at most of the same places as male condoms, but Student Health Services does not carry them.
Up until recently, the most popular form of birth control was the Intrauterine Device. The IUD is a small object containing copper that is inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy. These can last one to 10 years and are 99 percent effective. Because IUDs must be inserted and removed by a doctor and the process can be painful, they have has become less popular; Student Health Services does not offer this option, either.
Currently, the most popular hormonal birth control method is the pill. To prevent STDs and to avoid accidental pregnancy, “”couples should always use a back-up method with hormonal contraception,”” Ward said. Oral contraceptives are 98 percent effective with perfect use, yet it is often difficult for women to remember to take them at the same time every day. Now there are several new hormonal devices that eliminate this inconvenience.
One familiar option is to get an injection of medications like Depo-Provera and Lunelle, which contain hormones like those found in the pill. Depo-Provera is slightly older and only has to be administered every three months. However, many women experience side effects with this treatment, and all women have to wait 18 months after their final injection to be able to have a child again.
The new option, Lunelle, is a monthly injection that works exactly like the pill without the hassle. Lunelle is 99 percent effective — out of 782 women, none became pregnant during a clinical study — and has the potential to become the most effective form available. However, Lunelle recently issued a recall on all prefilled syringes. If you think you may be affected, begin using a barrier method and contact your doctor or visit www.lunelle.com.
If the thought of injections makes you squirm, and the pill seems too inconvenient, there are two new devices that promise to eliminate both of these problems. The first is the ring, a flexible, transparent, two-inch circle that contains hormones similar to those in the pill.
“”The ring will be interesting,”” Ward said. Although this option will not be available until January, some complain that the ring can be easily displaced and can cause vaginal infections. Time will tell whether it catches on or not.
In addition, Ortho-Evra has just released a hormonal patch that can be worn on a variety of inconspicuous body parts. You replace the patch every week for three weeks at a time, and then go one week without it. Though they are currently only manufactured in beige, the company expects to introduce other colors, including clear. Clinical tests have shown that the patch is 99 percent effective and costs about the same as oral contraceptives.
Though these new hormonal devices may be more convenient and more foolproof than previous methods, the side effects remain similar; a person that experiences side effects with the pill may not find the ring or the patch any different. This is because the hormones that these devices carry are the same as oral contraceptives, just delivered in a different way and in different dosages.
When asked which birth control method she recommends most, Ward said, “”I’m not in the business of recommending anything. I’m here to dispel myths,”” and suggested that curious students should attend the sexual health information sessions and make appointment at the clinic.
Though future products for women mirror what is currently available, science is working toward creating male birth control to transform what has been a primarily female responsibility into one for both members of a couple. The World Health Organization and a clinical study in Italy are testing the effect of synthetic testosterone injections and pills on sperm count. Research also suggests that a version of human gonadotropin-releasing hormone may be useful in creating a new unisex implant.
“”Eventually, there should be something for everybody,”” Ward said.