CONTRACEPTION

Contraceptive preferences and requirements can change throughout our life. We use them not only to avoid pregnancy, but to skip periods, reduce heavy flow (menorrhagia), reduce period pain (dysmenorrhea), manage endometriosis symptoms, treat PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), as well as hormonal treatment or management for transpeople.

Sex and sexual health are important topics, and it can be important to discuss these, as well as pregnancy planning, relationship safety, and general health and wellbeing when we discuss contraceptive options. 

At Interchange Health Co-Operative we have doctors who can offer the whole range of temporary/reversible contraception, from “the pill” (the combined oral contraceptive pill), the progesterone only pill, vaginal ring, depo injection, implanon insertion and removal, and IntraUterine Device (IUD) insertion and removal.

There are pros and cons to all options, so choosing can depend on whether you’re looking for a long acting option or something that needs to be taken everyday, whether you have health conditions like diabetes or migraine, how you feel about missing your periods altogether (amenorrhoea), or how you feel about having something inside your body, or how efficacious you want the contraceptive to be, or whether you prefer to not use hormones.

Just because we choose one option at one time point, does not mean that we need to stick with that forever. Contraceptive options can be chopped and changed as your needs or preferences change.

It can be worthwhile reading through some information about contraception in general as well as the difference options, even if you’re happy with your current choice, it can be helpful to know what the other options are.

 

USEFUL RESOURCES

Contraception in General:

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/contraception-options

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blog/why-contraception-fails-and-how-to-choose-a-method-that-works

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blog/women-don-t-need-to-put-up-with-heavy-periods

https://www.shfpact.org.au/sexual-health-information-brochures/397-contraception-options

https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/sex-sexual-health/contraception

https://www.thewomens.org.au/health-information/contraception/your-contraception-choices

https://www.contraception.org.au

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/abortion-translated

Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill (oestrogen + progesterone):

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/the-pill-combined-oral-contraceptive-pill

https://www.shfpact.org.au/sexual-health-information-brochures/52-taking-the-pill

https://www.nps.org.au/australian-prescriber/articles/choosing-a-combined-oral-contraceptive-pill

https://www.thewomens.org.au/health-information/contraception/contraceptive-pills

  

Progesterone Only Pill:

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/mini-pill-progestogen-only-pill

https://www.shfpact.org.au/sexual-health-information-brochures/260-the-progestogen-only-pill-pop

https://www.thewomens.org.au/health-information/contraception/contraceptive-pills

 

Nuvaring (oestrogen + progesterone):

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/contraceptive-vaginal-ring

https://www.thewomens.org.au/health-information/contraception/vaginal-ring

https://www.nps.org.au/medicine-finder/nuva-ring-controlled-release-vaginal-contraceptive-ring