Alert! Hormonal Implants lead to hundreds of unwanted pregnancies!

A new finding has come to show that hundreds of women have fallen pregnant after a long-term contraceptive implant failed. Many women were left injured or scarred as a result of the implant after it was inserted into their arm.

To compensate the failings of these contraceptive implants, the NHS has had to pay the women who were hurt by the implant and those who were traumatised by their unexpected pregnancies. The total payouts have totalled more than £200,000 – an average of more than £28,000 each.

A lawyer representing the women who had fallen pregnant unintentionally revealed that many of his clients had suffered psychological difficulties after suffering miscarriages or undergoing abortions after the implants went wrong. One woman who underwent an abortion claimed the trauma had led to her marriage ending.

The hormone filled rod which is behind all of these unwanted pregnancies is called Implanon. The Implanon implant is meant to provide protection against pregnancy for up to three years and when properly inserted, it is 99.5% effective compared to 99.7% for the Pill. The Implanon device costs £90. It is a flexible rod the size of a matchstick which is inserted underneath the skin of the upper arm. It works by gradually releasing the hormone progesterone, which stops the ovaries from releasing eggs and makes the womb less receptive to fertilised eggs.

One in four women in the UK who go to family planning clinics receive the long-term contraceptive implants. The implants are especially popular among teenagers who prefer the implant to the pill because it doesn’t require daily action.

Investigations conducted after reports of unwanted pregnancies have revealed that in some cases, the implant was not released from the pre-loaded applicator and therefore never inserted into the arm of the patient. Other implants were delivered too deep into the arm to function properly.

In its entire living history, the NHS has never experienced a contraceptive failure as great as this one involving Implanon. In total, 584 women who had the implant have reported unwanted pregnancies to the Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The total could actually be much higher considering many woman may not have reported becoming pregnant. The MHRA received 1,607 complaints about the implant going wrong. Some of these complaints were filed by doctors concerned about the difficulty of inserting the device and also that the implant is impossible to check if they are correctly implanted because they are invisible to X-rays.

The manufacturer of Implanon has now replaced it with an updated product called Nexplanon, which has a new pre-loaded applicator and can be detected by X-ray or CT scan. The manufacturer has not,however, recalled the existing stock of Implanon, which means doctors are still using it.

It’s important to remember that no form of birth control is 100% reliable and that when choosing a method of contraception, it’s best to talk to your health care professional. While hormonal birth control is often the most reliable forms of contraception, it can also come with the most amount of risks. Natural contraception, when practiced correctly, can be just as reliable as hormonal birth control and much safer. By practicing natural contraception with a contraceptive monitor or barrier contraceptive, you are eliminating the risk of side effects often associated with hormonal birth control such as mood swings and weight gain, and as in the extreme circumstance detailed in this story, unexpected pregnancies. To learn more about natural contraception, click here.

Men MORE Attracted to Hormone-Free Women

New research has shown that women who practise natural contraception appear more attractive to men than those who practice hormonal contraception. Studies by British researchers, Alexandra Alvergne and Virpi Lummaa, indicate that women who avoid using hormonal contraceptives are seen as more attractive by men during their ovulation period. As you know by our previous articles, ovulation is that time of month when our bodies are focused on making babies. Primal instincts begin to kick in and prompt our bodies to focus on mating and looking our best to attract a partner. This shows that women who use cyclotest or any other form of natural contraceptive, will have that natural something to draw in the guys, just as mother nature intended.

Alvergne and Lummaa emphasise that women undergo physical changes in the course of their menstruation cycle. Facial features, smell and voice are often subject to change. During the fertile phase, which is around the same time as ovulation, these characteristics have a particularly alluring effect on men as both men and women are programmed to know that ovulation time is reproduction time. It has also been established that women in their fertile phase tend to find themselves more attractive and as a result, put more effort into their appearance and dress. Women who practise hormonal contraception artificially subject their hormone balance to a permanently infertile phase, which suppresses the cyclical high of both their positive self-perception and the positive way in which they are perceived by others. Without this monthly high, many women using hormonal contraception suffer negative psychological effects. Woman who practice natural, hormone-free contraception on the other hand, are able to utilise and enjoy this monthly high and often experience an increased level of confidence as a result. This confidence allows them to be more active in their pursuit of finding a partner.

Self-perception is the key to success here. However, the success isn’t attributed solely on the positive way in which a woman perceives herself during the fertile days, but also in the possibility of ascertaining through specific cycle observation, the best time to look for a potential partner. A woman can use the symptothermal method to determine precisely her fertile and highly fertile days,so she can plan her social calendar in advance to make the most of her natural boost.

The manual method of symptothermal charting involves a paper and pen exercise of recording daily temperature readings on a chart and joining the dots, then applying a few formula and a few rules to predict when ovulation might occur. In order to even begin this process you must have already compared up to a years worth of charting data, which is best done under the supervision of a doctor who is knowledgeable in the field of reproductive science.

The alternative to this manual method is letting a contracpetive monitor, like cyclotest, do the job for you. These high-tech, compact devices replace the doctor, the pen and the paper and join the dots up for you while applying a complex algorithm to predict, using minimal data, when your highly fertile period is due. These monitors are incredibly reliable and accurate when used as a natural contraceptive device and allow you to start monitoring your fertility as soon as you take them out of the box!

While all forms of natural contraception allow you to experience this monthly high, using a contraceptive monitor enables you to know when to expect this increase in attractiveness in advance. If you are single and looking for a potential mate, this sympto-thermal method may be a bertter option for you than other forms of hormone-free birth control which do not track your fertility, such as barrier contraceptives.

Being seen as more attractive to men is one of many advantages of making the switch from hormonal birth control to natural contraception. While appearing more attractive to men may sound superficial or unimportant, there are many other more serious psychological benefits of giving up the hormones. Check out the reasons to go natural from a psychological perspective.

To find out what other benefits come with giving up the pill and going natural, have a look here.

Capping the Time to Conception

Since a woman’s egg is only fertilisable for about 18 hours per cycle, it’s important to pinpoint that short amount of time to optimize your chances of becoming pregnant. That's where cyclotest baby comes in. This handy little device is a leading fertility monitor recently introduced into the UK from Germany. Using daily temperature readings and other indicators of fertility known as the sympto-thermal method of fertility charting, cyclotest baby is able to do just that!

After identifying the correct time, you can begin the insemination process using the FemCap included in the kit. The FemCap is the latest generation cervical cap, known as a modern alternative to the diaphragm, that is usually used to keep sperm out. The FemCap allows you to avoid all possible bumps, pitfalls and everything else that can happen on the sperm's journey to the uterus because it delivers semen right up to the cervix while protecting them from the vaginal environment. Once fastened securely right over the cervical opening, the FemCap holds the semen into place without giving any of the little swimmers a chance to escape! The FemCap is eased into place with Yes Baby's Fertility lubricant and can be worn for hours without the woman noticing.

This entire process ensures that each and every sperm in the semen has been giving the optimum chance of reaching it's final destination without being able to run away. The FemCap cuts off any escape route the sperm might take as gravity attemptos to pull them away from the uterus. It's recommended that the FemCap remain in place for 8 hours.

The home insemination kit allows you to take control of your own conception by pinpointing the best time for conception and safely delivering sperm to where it needs to be to get you pregnant! Save money and time on expensive treatments and clinic visits and do your own insemination at home!

Home Insemination Kits optimise your chances of becoming pregnant by identifying your most fertile phase and safely delivering and securing sperm right where it needs to be to foster pregnancy. Conceiving in the privacy of your own home has never been so simple!

Fertility Monitoring Made Easy - Let a Computer do the Work for You!

More couples are turning to fertility monitoring and charting in order to take control of their pregnancies. Monitoring fertility allows women to pinpoint the exact days when they're able to get pregnant during their cycle, which gives them a large advantage over couples trying to conceive without knowing which days are best. Fertility Monitors, such as Cyclotest Baby, also allow you to digitally chart, email and print your personal fertility profile. This can be a great tool for gynecologists to diagnose any potential problems that may be inhibiting pregnancy.

Fertility monitors are amazing tools used to predict the best time to make love in order to become pregnant. Timing is everything when it comes to conception and having an aide like Cyclotest Baby can decrease the time it takes you to fall pregnant.

When you consider sperm count and ovulation dates, sperm life span and vaginal PH values, sperm motility and egg quality, knowing exactly when to make love is extremely advantageous.

Fertility Monitors, such as Cyclotest Baby, also allow you to digitally chart, email and print your personal fertility profile. This feature can be extremely helpful to your gynecologist if your pregnancy is taking longer than expected to come about.

Have a look at the video below and our articles about fertility awareness and the sympto-thermal method to learn more about predicting fertility using fertility monitors.

Knowledge is Power - Understanding Your Fertile Phase

There are many potential reasons why the pregnancy you are longing for fails to materialise and it is not always down to organic factors. Lifestyle factors such as medication, diet, weight and overall health can have a large impact on your chances of getting pregnant. Simply knowing your fertile phase, that small window each cycle when you're able to conceive can increase your chances dramatically.

Before trying to get pregnant, many women are usually unaware of the symptoms which are characteristic of the fertile cycle phase.

A woman can conceive only when she has sex during the few days around ovulation. Therefore, on most other days in her cycle, a woman is infertile. Many women can recall from biology lessons at school that a woman is supposed to ovulate around the 14th day of her cycle. While this may be the case for some women, there is not enough detailed information to say it applies to everyone.

The fertile phase within the cycle can vary from cycle to cycle, especially since cycles and ovulation can be influenced by outside factors such as diet, stress, and illness.

Because there are so many things that can cause variations within each cycle, identifying the fertile days and ovulation is often difficult. Knowing when you are ovulating will maximise your chances of getting pregnant by allowing you to coordinate your love life with your ovulation.

Fertility monitors are excellent tools which allow you to pinpoint the exact days when sexual intercourse has the highest chance of resulting in pregnancy. Many couples use these to determine their ovulation days and are thus able to become pregnant sooner than those who are unaware of their ovulation cycles.

Have a look at our articles and check out the video below to learn more about ovulation and fertility cycles and how being aware of these occurrences can help bring about pregnancy.

Ovulation and Pregnancy

Before trying to get pregnant, many women are usually unaware of the symptoms which are characteristic of the fertile cycle phase.

A woman can conceive only when she has sex during the few days around ovulation. Therefore, on most other days in her cycle, a woman is infertile. Many women can recall from biology lessons at school that a woman is supposed to ovulate around the 14th day of her cycle. While this may be the case for some women, there is not enough detailed information to say it applies to everyone.

The fertile phase within the cycle can vary from cycle to cycle, especially since cycles and ovulation can be influenced by outside factors such as diet, stress, and illness.

Because there are so many things that can cause variations within each cycle, identifying the fertile days and ovulation is often difficult. Knowing when you are ovulating will maximise your chances of getting pregnant by allowing you to coordinate your love life with your ovulation.

Fertility monitors are excellent tools which allow you to pinpoint the exact days when sexual intercourse has the highest chance of resulting in pregnancy. Many couples use these to determine their ovulation days and are thus able to become pregnant sooner than those who are unaware of their ovulation cycles.

Have a look at our articles and check out the video below to learn more about ovulation and fertility cycles and how being aware of these occurrences can help bring about pregnancy.

ContraGel - The Natural Alternative To Spermicide

Why We Love ContraGel

For one, it's totally hormone-free and an instantly reversible form of contraception. It's also completely free of nonoxynol-9, the chemical found in most spermicides that easily irritates skin. ContraGel is available over the counter, saving you the hassle of going to the doctor's to get a prescription and it's been in production for over 35 years.

100% Natural Ingredients

Ethical Family Planning loves ContraGel because of it's all natural ingredients. How great is it to actually be able to recognize each and every one of your spermicide's components?

Water

Lactic Acid

Sodium Lactate

Methyl Cellulose

Sorbic Acid

Get the Facts

ContraGel has recently been launched by us here in the UK to help solve a wide range of issues associated with the usual spermicides prescribed by the NHS. By only using natural ingredients, ContraGel Green reduces the risk and occurance of many nasty adverse reactions which can be synonymous with chemically packed spermicides, especially those containing Nonoxynol-9 such as Gygel and Gynol II. N-9 is an abrasive agent, most commonly found in detergents and has been identified by the WHO (World Health Organisation) as actually increasing the risk of HIV/AIDS in certain situations. For this reason it's also become increasingly hard to buy spermicide in countries like the USA, Australia, New Zealand as their health services and agencies turn their back on it. Stopping prescription of a dangerous chemical based product or treatment is good, but what should the patient then resort to? Hormonal contraception? We are sure that's what the NHS and the pharmacutical companies would like to hear!

A Short Video Clip in Which the FDA Highlight the Dangers of N-9

Being water soluble means it’s safe to use with natural latex, rubber or polyurethane condoms as well as latex or silicon rubber diaphragms and cervical caps.

When used with a cervical cap such as FemCap, ContraGel Green forms a physical barrier with a low pH value just infront of the cervix, inhibiting and immobilizing the sperm. The woman is protected twice, first by the cap and then by the gel.

ContraGel as an Alternative to Nonoxynol-9

ContraGel is a very safe spermicide for those who are investigating their natural birth control methods. As a Lactic Acid-based spermicide, Contragel is similar to Femprotect, which is based upon the formula used for DiaphragmaGel Lacto. There have been no clinical studies to proof the spermicidal function of Femprotect and there have been no clinical studies to prove the innocuousness of Femprotect so users must use it at their own risk, On the other hand, ContraGel has been approved for use by the European Union with their issuance of the CE 0124 mark.

N-9's ability to kill microbes in vitro was initially taken as evidence that it might be effective at preventing STD transmission. However, more recent findings indicate that it may actually increase a person's risk of contracting STDs, especially if used frequently. This is because the chemical causes tiny abrasions inside the sensitive vaginal and anal walls.

From 1996 to 2000, a UN-sponsored study carried out in several locations in Africa followed nearly 1000 sex workers who used nonoxynol-9 gels or a placebo. The HIV infection rate among those using nonoxynol-9 was about 50% higher than those who used the placebo; those using nonoxynol-9 also had a higher incidence of vaginal lesions, which may have contributed to this increased risk. Whereas these results may not be directly applicable to lower-frequency use, these findings combined with lack of any demonstrated HIV-prevention benefit from nonoxynol-9 use have led most major health agencies to recommend that it no longer be used by women at high risk of HIV infection. The WHO further states that "Nonoxynol-9 offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia."

Regular use of Nonoxynol-9 also appears also to increase the risk of infection with sexually transmitted human papillomaviruses (HPVs) that can cause cervical cancer.

ContraGel and Barrier Contraceptives

Since it is waterbased there is no problem in using ContraGel with latex based or silicone based barrier contraceptives. Diaphragms and cervical caps such as FemCap MUST be used with a spermicide or a natural alternative.

It's worth remembering that intercourse only has the risk of pregnancy for about 6 days per cycle during your Fertility Window. A healthy egg is only fertilisable for 18-24 hours and sperm can't survive for more than 5 days inside of you so that span of 6 day (5 days before ovulation and the day of ovulation) are really the only time when barrier contraception needs to be used for pregnancy protection. Click here to learn more about identifying your Fertility Window for contraception.

ContraGel and Lubricants

After a recent evaluation, the Yes Yes Company, which sells organic lubricants, has verified that ContraGel Green is compatible with their range of organic water-based lubricants. These lubricants will not damage latex diaphragms, condoms or cervical caps and like ContraGel, can be used as frequently as desired. What's an added bonus of combining ContraGel with Yes water based lubricants is that the acidic nature of Yes water-based lubricants actually inhibits sperm motility. Sperm lose their ability to swim below around pH6 and these water lubricants match the typical vaginal pH4. So while Yes water-based lubricant is not a spermicide, it does stop them from getting anywhere. Go all natural in your contraceptive methods and take advantage of using two amazing natural products together!

David Mayer from Mayer Laboratories in Oakland, California Confiming the Dangers of Nonoxynol-9 and Saying That By Selling N-9 Based Products, Manufacturers Are "Preying Upon Uninformed Consumners".