What type of contraception you choose will depend on a number of factors and with 15 different methods to select from, you find you use more than one method over time. This is likely to depend on your circumstances at the time and also on your overall health.
Condoms, for example, will help against both unwanted pregnancies and against sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), and sexual health professionals advise that you use them in conjunction with other forms of contraception to protect the health of both you and your partner.
Most contraception is aimed at women, including the combined or progestogen-only pill, IUD (intrauterine device) or IUS (intrauterine system), vaginal ring, caps or diaphragms. Contraceptive implants, injections and patches are also available for women of childbearing age who want to prevent pregnancy.
Natural family planning is a method of pinpointing when a woman is at her least and most fertile during a month so as to either prevent pregnancy or boost the chances of conception.
There are two types of condom for use, one used by a male, the other by a female. And if you want a permanent solution to contraception, you can consider sterilisation for women or a vasectomy for men.
Free and confidential advice on contraception is available to all adults and also to the under 16s where required and considered appropriate. If you need advice on contraception, you can talk to your GP or practice nurse. You can also get help and information on reproduction from specialist community contraceptive clinics, sexual health clinics and from genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics. These clinics will also advise you on protecting yourself against STIs as well as testing and treating you where necessary.
By the time you approach the menopause, you consider that you no longer need to take precautions against pregnancy. However, medical advice says that you should keep using contraception for at least a year after your last period.
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