Wrestling with your spiral

The pill is out, millennials are massively stopping the intake of hormones and contraceptives seem to be going more back to basics. Men grumble a bit when they are once again condemned to the condom, but women are simply fed up with stuffing themselves full of all sorts of unnatural substances. These are the options, the side effects, and the consequences.

A.

Contraception 
Sex with the aim of conception. A cause and effect that were only separated from each other sixty years ago. The arrival of the pill made having sex easier and looser, especially for women, but the desire to have sexual intercourse without getting pregnant dates back to ancient Egypt. There, they were already tinkering with cones and pomegranate seeds, as these naturally contain estrogen and might work against fertilization.

B.

Billings method

In the lead-up to ovulation, a woman has vaginal discharge. With the Billings method, you check this process and pattern closely. Just after menstruation, the mucus is thicker, sticky, and acidic, making it less likely for sperm to reach the uterus. If the discharge is elastic and smooth in structure and white to transparent in color, then the fertile period has begun. Short summary: you need to delve deeply into the substance in your underwear.

C.

Condom

Sheep, cow, or pig intestines, a linen covering, a little piece of leather, made from fish skin, and now the little rubber that thank goodness is just rubber. The condom has taken many forms and its safety was debatable. But it has redeemed its reputation, because nowadays this is the only contraceptive in the world that protects against sexually transmitted diseases (and pregnancies).

D.

DMAU pill
Alias the male pill, of which we actually know too little. Did you know, for example, that the male pill is much less harmful to health than the female variant? The pill is still in its testing phase, but promises a lot of good for women.

Silly Methods

No 1 A COCA COLA DOUCHE (this is what you think it is) No 2 The drinking of MERCURY or the toxic WASTE WATER from the smith No 3 A COTTON BALL dipped in honey with bark from the acacia tree inserted into the vagina No 4 A shower with the balls of a weasel  No 5 Inserting CROCODILE POOP iinto the vagina 

E.

Etonogestrel

This is one of the active ingredients of the contraceptive implant. A trained doctor places the implant in the upper arm just below the skin surface and this releases a constant dose of hormones for a period of three years. By the way, with this contraceptive, you have no influence on the cycle or break week.

F.

Flo

After banking, grocery shopping, and gym bookings, you can now also calculate your fertility level in an app. Not a foolproof method, but a good indication of whether you can get pregnant or not.

G.

Gum

A tried and tested way of the Arabs to prevent conception is Arabic gum. Fun fact is that this gum is still an important ingredient of the condom, so the Arabs were already hinting in the right direction regarding contraception.

H.

Hormonal IUD
After the contraceptive pill, a popular contraceptive among women aged 25 to 39 in the Netherlands. An IUD protects for four to five years. It is placed in the cervix and releases small amounts of hormones. Additional benefit: sometimes menstruation stops after placing an IUD.

Curious about what I to Z in conception still has to offer you? The magazine is available at AKO and the Read Shop on the shelves. Get one for yourself and one as a gift.