Can you get pregnant if you use protection?

The 100% method of contraception is called abstinence. Other methods leave room for error and do not guarantee absolute certainty.

Protection level of the different contraceptives

Sterilisation

The success rate is more than 99%. A small percentage of failures is due to human error during the operation or pregnancy before the contraceptive effect has taken place. Important: sterilisation is an irreversible procedure!

Intrauterine devices

Coils and other types of devices based on hormones or copper are inserted in the cervix in order to prevent the penetration of a fertilised egg. They are also more than 99 per cent effective.

Pregnancy occurs in the first week after insertion, when the effect of the coil is not yet visible. Sometimes the contraceptive is displaced or falls out.

Hormonal contraception

It is based on synthetic substitutes for estrogen and progesterone, which are responsible for the menstrual cycle. Conception does not occur due to a change in the hormonal background. Failure occurs due to skipping the pill, changing the ring, putting in an injection. Failure to follow the schedule entails unpleasant consequences.

Taking certain types of antibiotics reduces the effectiveness of the hormones. It is important to read the instructions carefully.

It happens that the pill does not reach its goal. It may happen that a woman vomits immediately after taking it.

Barrier contraception

Barrier methods of protection against unwanted pregnancy include devices that prevent sperm from reaching the egg:

• condoms for men;
• condoms for women;
• diaphragms;
• spermicides;
• sponges.

The reliability range of barrier contraceptives is between 72% and 88%.

Failure can be caused by inability to use the above items correctly, condom breakage, sponge or diaphragm displacement.

Natural contraception

Natural contraceptive methods do not require the pill, coil, condom or other additional devices. They are based on trust and agreement with your sexual partner.

Interrupted intercourse

Practiced by removing the penis before ejaculation begins.

Calendar or basal temperature method

The woman observes her menstrual cycle and takes her temperature in order to determine the day of ovulation, avoiding sexual intercourse at that time.

Lactational amenorrhoea

There is a perception that women do not get pregnant while breast-feeding.

These methods cannot be considered reliable and their efficiency does not rise above 75-78%. In the case of lactational amenorrhoea, several conditions need to be fulfilled: the baby should not be older than 6 months, breastfeeding should be done every 4-6 hours, no complementary foods or artificial formula are used. The calendar method may contain errors in calculations or temperature measurements. Interrupted intercourse does not provide adequate protection because the spermatozoa are contained in the lubricant secreted before ejaculation.