Contraceptives Overview

Currently, abstinence-only-until-marriage programs do not allow educators to talk about different methods of contraception. And if they do, they must emphasize failure rates, rather than their overwhelming success rates. Contraceptives work by preventing a man’s sperm from fertilizing a woman’s egg, and this can be done in several different ways. There are two main types of contraception: barrier methods and hormonal methods.

Barrier methods physically prevent sperm from swimming into the uterus and fertilizing the woman’s egg. Hormonal methods, on the other hand, alter a woman’s hormonal cycle to prevent fertilization. These include the birth control pills and the monthly injections. These are the main types of contraception that are generally used by teenagers.