by Beverly Winikoff and Suzanne Wymelenberg
National Academy Press
What birth control method is most reliable? Can contraceptives protect me from AIDS? How can I choose the method that's best for me? Finding the answers to these and other questions about birth control can be tough. On the one hand, today's young couples have many contraceptive options. On the other hand, each option has pluses and minuses that must be carefully weighed before these couples can make an informed choice.
This book is a detailed guide to the methods of birth control currently available, plus a brief review of new methods currently being developed and may be on the market soon. Each chapter describes a specific method and provides accurate information to help you choose a contraceptive suited to you and your current situation. Chapters discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each contraceptive method, safety concerns, general effectiveness, side effects, costs, and how to obtain the contraceptive and use it effectively.
As you think about the birth control options available to you, remember no single method may be ideal to your particular situation, or is totally reliable. Furthermore, many contraceptives have some side effects and most require a certain amount of care in their usage. To choose the right one for you, be thoughtful about the disadvantages as well as the advantages. If you are comfortable with your birth control choice, you are more likely to use it every time and to consistently stick with it. If possible, the decision about what method to choose should be made with your spouse or partner. As this guide demonstrates, it is much easier to use a contraceptive correctly when both of you are involved in the decision-making process.
This guide includes up-to-date information on new products, such as the female condom and the non-latex male condom. Only birth control methods that are currently available or show every promise of being available soon are discussed.
The book also provides details about contraception and its relation to sexually transmitted diseases (STD), with an emphasis on AIDS. Also offered is an expanded discussion of "emergency" contraception, designed for use after unprotected sex. Many of the methods discussed in this guide require a visit to a health practitioner as such as family planning services, independent clinics and hospitals.
Although clearly intended for someone planning to use a contraceptive method, this book is detailed enough to be useful to nurses and youth counselors interested in the subject. Whether you intend to have children or not, every newlywed couple owes it to themselves and their loved ones to read this book.
Recommended Sex Education Guides
See also my comments on the 35-minute documentary Sex education in Malaysia: Are we doing enough? by Lydia Lubon and Ahmad Yazid.
Copyright 2003-2004 Azlan Adnan Legal Notice
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