What Is World Contraception Day?
World Contraception Day (WCD) is celebrated every year on September 26th, with the motive of raising awareness of contraception, and promoting its use. First launched by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in 2007, the theme for WCD 2023 is ‘The Power of Options.’
We love it, because this year, you focus on the number of different options of contraceptives you have to choose from, according to your specific needs and circumstances.
This important day also helps to bust some myths and empowers everybody to make informed decisions about their bodies. Birth control is extremely essential for sexually active people, to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and WCD helps spread awareness to those in need of it. Now let’s look at what this day is all about.
World Contraception Day History
The history of World Contraception Day is tied to many facets, including the fight for women’s rights — to ensure that every person gets to choose when and how to have children. Although we’ve come a long way from where we started, we still need to ensure that whatever your situation might be, you have access to the correct information and contraception, to live your life the way you want to.
World Contraception Day Significance
Let’s talk about why World Contraception Day is important. A movement for global family planning became revolutionary in the 20th century, which aimed to educate people about emergency contraception, and how important it is to make informed choices about your reproductive and sexual health.
According to a recent survey by the NFHS, only about 66.7% of married women use any form of contraceptives in India. These stats are a result of various factors, including lack of access, affordability, and the main reason, lack of awareness.
8 Important Facts About World Contraception Day
1. Annual Event For Awareness:
This important event is celebrated on the 26th of September every year and provides an opportunity to raise awareness about contraception and various family planning methods.
2. Promotes Safe Sex:
The main goal of this day is to promote practising safe sex. Information and resources are provided to those in need, to help them make informed decisions about their reproductive and sexual health.
3. Worldwide Celebration:
World Contraceptive Day is observed across the globe in over 120 countries – so it’s not limited to one region or culture. This shows just how important accessible contraception is.
4. Focused On The Youth:
It focuses on the youth of the country, and how best to educate them, and provide them with early knowledge to help them make better, informed decisions, and plan families responsibly.
5. Options For Contraception:
The awareness also highlights the many different options of birth control available, like condoms, IUDs and more, helping people choose the option best for them.
6. Preventing Unwanted Pregnancy:
When you promote birth control, you reduce unintended pregnancies that have economic, social and health consequences.
7. Empower Women:
Having control over their education and career choices, family planning, reproductive health, and their bodies, helps empower women across the world.
8. Prevention Of STDs:
As we know, birth control does not just prevent pregnancies, but also protects individuals from the spreading of sexually transmitted diseases. Thus, safe sex is an important part of this day.
Read: 10 Facts About Contraception In India
How Is World Contraception Day Celebrated?
This day is celebrated every year around the world with many activities and plans to promote reproductive and sexual health and spread awareness of contraceptives. Here are a few ways this day is observed around the world, and how you can celebrate it too:
1. Educational Campaigns:
NGOs, hospitals and many organisations hold public campaigns to provide information to the public, on topics like the different contraception methods, how to use them, and their benefits. These might even involve lectures, workshops, banners and pamphlets.
2. Social Media Awareness:
Many of these action plans involve the use of social media platforms such as Instagram, X (Formerly Twitter), YouTube and Facebook to reach a wider audience, by sharing information about family planning methods in the form of pictures, graphics, and infotainment videos.
3. Collaborations and Partnerships:
Many invested organisations, NGOs and governments often collaborate with hospitals, and
pharmaceutical companies to support the initiatives and provide access to birth control products to those in need, helping with affordability and availability.
10 Types Of Contraception Methods You Can Choose From
Here are a few types of contraception methods that you can pick from, depending on your individual needs:
1. Birth Control Pills (Oral Contraceptives):
Meant for those with a vagina, these pills work by altering your hormonal levels, and they contain synthetic versions of estrogen and progestin (or sometimes just progestin). You have to take them daily to prevent pregnancy, as it suppresses ovulation and thickens your cervical mucus, while simultaneously thinning your uterine lining.
2. Condoms (Male and Female):
The most common, easy, and affordable method, condoms are a barrier method of contraception. The male ones are worn over the penis and the female ones are inserted into the vagina, and prevents pregnancy by not letting the sperms reach the egg. This method also protects you from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
3. Intrauterine Device (IUD):
This small, T-shaped device is inserted into your uterus by a doctor. You have two options of IUDs, hormonal and non-hormonal (copper), and these work by affecting sperm movement and their survival – preventing them from reaching and fertilizing the egg
4. Birth Control Patch:
This patch for vagina owners is a small adhesive square that’s applied to your skin and releases estrogen and progestin hormones. You have to change these once a week, for three weeks. You leave the 4th week open, to allow menstruation.
5. Birth Control Shot (Depo-Provera):
Meant again for those with a vagina, the birth control shot is an injection that shoots progestin into you. A doctor will give it to you, every three months. It prevents pregnancy in the same way, by altering the uterine lining and thickening the cervical mucus.
6. Birth Control Implant:
For this method, a tiny rod will be inserted under the skin of your upper arm by a doctor, which then releases the hormone progestin, to provide protection against pregnancy for up to three years.
7. Diaphragm:
Another barrier method, this one is a shallow dome-shaped device that is inserted inside the vagina before sex. The diaphragm covers the cervix to prevent the sperm from reaching the uterus. This method must be used along with spermicide — a chemical that kills sperms.
8. Vaginal Ring (NuvaRing):
This one again releases hormones to prevent pregnancies. It’s a flexible ring that’s inserted into the vagina and left there for 3 weeks and removed the 4th for menstruation.
9. Natural Contraceptive Methods:
Not an actual contraceptive, as it is not 100% effective, this method is when those with a uterus just track their menstrual cycle and avoid intercourse during the fertile window. For natural contraceptive methods, you also have to keep in mind the cervical mucus method, the temperature method, and the calendar method.
10. Pull-Out Method:
Last, AND the least – because this has the lowest chance of working – this is one of the rare few contraception methods for penis owners. It just involves withdrawing the penis from the vagina before ejaculation. This method is dangerous as it exposes you to STIs, and you might still get pregnant from pre-cum.
Important Things To Remember Before Choosing A Contraceptive
1. Compare the effectiveness of each method.
2. Take your preexisting health and any medical conditions into consideration.
3. Consider all the side effects of each method.
4. Take into account the convenience of every method.
5. Opt for barrier methods if you’re concerned about STIs.
6. Think about your future family planning and how the method would affect your fertility.
7. Make sure you properly research the cost of all the contraception methods.
8. Check if the method has to be administered in a hospital or by yourself.
9. Take into account that some methods need constant attention while others are just a one-time process.
10. The most important factor, pick a method that’s comfortable for you and discuss it with a doctor if necessary.
11. If nothing else works, consider emergency contraception.
World Contraception Day is a reminder to the whole world about how vital making informed choices about your reproductive and sexual health is. This day not only promotes awareness and busts myths but also empowers individuals to decide for themselves. Easy access to birth control prevents unintended pregnancies, and with the wide variety of methods to choose from, each person can pick something that suits their own personal needs.
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