Contraception and Family Planning
Choosing contraception is rarely a one-off decision. What suits you at twenty-five is often not what suits you after a baby, or at forty, or when you are certain your family is complete. The method that fits depends on your age, your medical history, whether you are breastfeeding, how soon you might want to conceive, and how much you want to think about it day to day.
Sai Speciality Center provides contraception advice and fitting in Kasturi Nagar, Bengaluru. This page sets out the options available, who each one suits, and what to expect at a consultation with Dr. Kavitha Lakshmi Easwaran.
Methods You Take or Use Yourself
Combined oral contraceptive pills
The familiar daily pill, containing both oestrogen and progestogen. Taken correctly it is highly effective, and it often makes periods lighter, more predictable and less painful. That is why it is sometimes prescribed for reasons other than contraception, including PCOS and PCOD treatment and irregular periods treatment.
Combined pills are not suitable for everyone. Your doctor will ask about migraine with aura, blood pressure, smoking if you are over thirty-five, any history of blood clots, and whether you are breastfeeding. These questions are not a formality. They are the reason the pill is prescribed after a consultation rather than bought off a shelf.
Progestogen-only pills
Sometimes called the mini-pill. These contain no oestrogen, which makes them an option when combined pills are not suitable, including while breastfeeding. They need to be taken within a narrower daily window, so they suit people who are reliable about timing.
Barrier methods
Condoms are the only method that also reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infection, which matters regardless of what else you are using. They are often used alongside another method rather than instead of one.
Longer-Acting Methods
Copper intrauterine device, the Copper-T
A small copper device placed inside the uterus. Depending on the type it provides contraception for several years, commonly up to ten, and nothing needs to be remembered day to day. It contains no hormones, which makes it useful when hormonal methods are unsuitable or unwanted.
Periods can become heavier or more crampy, particularly in the first few months. The device is fitted at the clinic during a routine appointment, and it can be removed whenever you choose, with fertility returning quickly afterwards.
Hormonal intrauterine system
Similar in placement but releasing a small amount of progestogen locally. It tends to make periods much lighter, and is sometimes recommended for heavy menstrual bleeding as well as for contraception. If heavy bleeding is your main concern, see fibroid treatment. It lasts several years and is reversible.
Injectable contraception
An injection given every few months. It suits people who would rather not take anything daily. Periods often become irregular and may stop altogether, which is not harmful but is worth expecting. Return of fertility after stopping can take several months, so it is less suitable if you are planning to conceive soon.
A note on implants
Contraceptive implants, the small rod placed under the skin of the upper arm, are not offered here. If an implant is specifically what you want, say so at the consultation and you can be pointed somewhere that fits them.
Emergency Contraception
If contraception has failed or none was used, emergency contraception is available. Timing matters a great deal. The sooner it is taken after intercourse the better it works, and effectiveness falls with each passing day. A copper device fitted within a few days is the most effective option, and has the advantage of continuing as ongoing contraception afterwards.
Emergency contraception is not intended as a regular method. A consultation afterwards is a good moment to decide what you would rather rely on.
Permanent Contraception
When a family is complete, permanent methods are an option for either partner. For women this is usually a tubal procedure, often done laparoscopically. See laparoscopic gynaecology surgery for what that involves. Dr. Kavitha performs these procedures herself at Rainbow Hospitals, HRBR Layout, where she is a senior consultant. For men, vasectomy is a simpler day procedure carried out by a urologist.
Permanent methods should be chosen as permanent. Reversal is sometimes technically possible but is neither reliable nor routinely available, so the decision deserves an unhurried conversation rather than one taken immediately after a delivery.
Contraception After Childbirth
Breastfeeding offers some natural protection in the first months, but only under specific conditions and never indefinitely. Most women want something more dependable before those conditions stop applying.
Which methods are suitable depends on how you are feeding your baby and how your delivery went. Combined pills are usually deferred while breastfeeding. Progestogen-only methods and intrauterine devices are generally compatible. This is worth raising at your postnatal care visit rather than leaving until later.
Choosing a Method
| If you want | Worth considering | Less suitable |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing to remember daily | Copper-T, hormonal IUS, injection | Daily pills |
| Lighter periods | Hormonal IUS, combined pill | Copper-T |
| No hormones | Copper-T, barrier methods | Pills, injection, hormonal IUS |
| To conceive soon after stopping | Pills, Copper-T, hormonal IUS | Injection |
| Something permanent | Tubal procedure, vasectomy | Anything reversible |
What to Expect at the Consultation
Bring a list of any medicines you take and the date your last period started. The consultation covers your medical history, your blood pressure, and what matters to you, whether that is lighter periods, not having to remember anything, or being able to conceive soon after stopping.
You will not be pushed towards one method. The point of the appointment is to narrow the options to the ones that are actually suitable for you, and then let you choose among them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which contraceptive method is best?
There is no single best method. The right one depends on your age, medical history, whether you are breastfeeding, how soon you might want to conceive, and how much daily attention you want to give it. A consultation narrows the list to the options that are medically suitable for you.
Does the Copper-T affect future fertility?
No. Fertility returns quickly after removal. The device prevents pregnancy only while it is in place.
Will contraception make me gain weight?
Most methods have little effect on weight. Injectable contraception is the one most often associated with weight gain. If weight is a particular concern, say so at the consultation, because it can reasonably influence which method is chosen.
Can I use contraception while breastfeeding?
Yes. Progestogen-only pills, injectables and intrauterine devices are generally suitable while breastfeeding. Combined pills containing oestrogen are usually deferred until later.
How soon after stopping can I get pregnant?
After pills or removal of a device, fertility usually returns within a cycle or two. After injectable contraception it can take several months, which is worth knowing if you are planning a pregnancy.
Is emergency contraception safe to use more than once?
It is safe, but it is less effective than regular contraception and is not intended as a routine method. Repeated use is a good reason to come in and choose something more dependable.
Do I need a prescription for contraceptive pills?
Combined and progestogen-only pills are prescribed after a consultation that checks they are suitable for you. Devices and injections are given by a doctor.
Where can I get contraception advice in Kasturi Nagar?
Sai Speciality Center is at 201-1, 1st A Cross, 2nd Main Road, East of NGEF Layout, Kasturi Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560043, with a laboratory and pharmacy in the same building. Dr. Kavitha Lakshmi Easwaran consults Monday to Saturday. Call 80887 01001 to book.
