Over the years, your support has made Women’s Web the leading resource for women in India. Now, it is our turn to ask, how can we make this even more useful for you? Please take our short 5 minute questionnaire – your feedback is important to us!
What are contraceptive methods available in India? This is a question all of us need to ask. Here is some handy information about what you can choose from, and make an informed decision for preventing a pregnancy.
“The best contraception in the world is a good education.” ~ Joycelyn Elders, American pediatrician and public health administrator who served as Surgeon General of the United States from 1993 to 1994
While I agree with the quote, a good education alone will never provide you with all the answers you want or need. Even among educated urban women, there is a low awareness of what contraceptive methods are available, and this is compounded by the fact that traditionally, Indian families do not consider it important to talk about contraception.
It isn’t very easy to go to a gynaecologist for this information either, especially for sexually active single women, or even for married women in a family with a traditional mindset. We hear so many horror stories of how even gynaecologists and other health care workers can be judgemental, rather than giving you the information you need.
Given this background and conditioning, most women find it hard to discuss contraception, even with a partner, when it should, indeed, be one of the most important conversations. Add to this the fact that most women do not have autonomy over their bodies, and no say in their pregnancy or even if they want to have sex or not.
It can be a HUGE help in such a scenario if you can get all this information on what contraception is available, where to look for it, which ones can give you full control, what you can do in case you want to prevent a pregnancy after sex, and where you do not need to be dependent on a partner to cooperate, correct? In short, what is YOUR ideal contraceptive of choice, suitable for your individual needs, which might change over time.
An ideal contraceptive should be effective, safe, acceptable, easy to use, should not be permanent, should be inexpensive, and should not require the cooperation of a partner during the act of sex.
Contraception has been the big thing of the 20th century that has truly freed women to follow their dreams. What are contraceptive methods available in India?
In this piece, you will get information on what are different contraceptives available to you in India, and a couple of them which are still undergoing trials and will be available soon.
We will cover barrier contraceptives of which the most commonly known, easily available, and easy to use one is the male condom, which is useful not just as a contraceptive, but also crucial for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. Other barrier contraceptives discussed will be the female condom, the cervical diaphragm and cap, vaginal sponges, and an upcoming one which is effective for a month.
We will cover hormonal contraceptives – which by definition means they act by affecting the hormone levels in a woman’s body to make it impossible for a pregnancy to occur. Commonly known names are the oral pills, the IUD (more commonly known as a Copper T), vaginal rings, emergency contraceptives (the morning after pill), and hormonal contraceptives that can be either injected, or placed under the skin – giving long term protection.
We will also cover permanent contraception methods, which are important in their own way.
This article is meant as a guide to what contraception is and the various methods available to the women in India. However each woman is unique in comfort levels as well as medical and personal choices, beliefs and practices. This “cafeteria approach” is to familiarise the reader to the many methods available for taking control of her destiny and body.
*All names in the stories included have been changed for privacy.
*Arti, a 20-year-old young adult is sexually active. She is not yet in a committed relationship but is open to the idea of marriage and motherhood later in life. “ I know it will take me a while to find someone I love enough to spend the rest of my life with. But I am young and have a healthy sexual life”, she says. Her quest is for a temporary method that also affords her protection from sexually transmitted diseases.
Arti is a sexually active single adult, and the best option for her (and for all sexually active single adults, of any gender), is the barrier method of contraception, of which the most popular is the male condom.
The condom is also crucial for preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), especially HIV (AIDS virus) and the Hepatitis B virus, both of which can be life threatening.
There are many varieties of condoms easily available over the counter everywhere – chemists’ shops, supermarkets, and online stores. There are also condoms available now that are thinner for increased sensitivity that also allow for a more ‘natural’ skin-on-skin touch feel, more break resistant, and easier to use. For increased lubrication as well as for its spermicidal action, you could use a water based gel like KY Jelly, again easily available at most chemists and online.
This premium content is for registered users only. If you want to know details of the various methods of contraception available in India, how they can be used, what are the things you can or cannot do when using these, and as a sexually active adult, where you can find each one of them, do log in to continue, or register if you do not have a Women’s Web account yet.
A Gynecologist by profession n blogger by passion, I love words! I love weaving life experiences into verse and prose. I'm particularly interested in relationships and how they work. A strong supporter of woman read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 might have had a box office collection of 260 crores INR and entertained Indian audiences, but it's full of problematic stereotypes.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 starts with a scene in which the protagonist, Ruhaan (played by Kartik Aaryan) finds an abandoned pink suitcase in a moving cable car and thinks there was a bomb inside it.
Just then, he sees an unknown person (Kiara Advani) wave and gesture at him to convey that the suitcase was theirs. Ruhaan, with the widest possible smile, says, “Bomb mai bag nahi hai, bomb ka bag hai,” (There isn’t a bomb in the bag, the bag belongs to a bomb).
Who even writes such dialogues in 2022?
Anupama, an idealist at heart, believes that passing on the mic to amplify suppressed voices is the best way to show solidarity with the marginalised.
Anupama writes with a clear vision of what she wants to say, and makes sure she explores all possible facets of the topic, be it parenting or work or on books.
An intelligent, extroverted writer with a ton of empathy, she is also one who thinks aloud in her writing. Anupama says that she is largely a self driven person, and her passion to write keeps her motivated.
Among her many achievements Anupama is also a multiple award winning blogger, author, serial entrepreneur, a digital content creator, creative writing mentor, choreographer and mother to a rambunctious 7-year-old who is her life’s inspiration and keeps her on her toes.