Counseling on Contraceptives

Introduction

There has been an increase in the number of the unintended pregnancies in the United States, despite the increase in accessibility of the methods of contraception that are safe and effective. Improving the use of contraceptives among women of reproductive age is the only suitable option for preventing these unintended pregnancies. The paper focuses on different contraception issues and counseling on their use.

Counseling on contraceptives

The female patients should be guided by clinicians in selecting the suitable methods of contraception. In offering the guidance, the clinician or the nurse practitioner should first develop and maintain rapport with the patient while maintaining the confidentiality of information(Peterson et al., 2000). The practitioner should inquire for social and clinical information from the patient, such as the medical history, decisions regarding the life plan,and contraceptive experiences. Besides, he should assess the patient for sexual health. The practitioner should advise the patient on the existing methods while outlining theirbenefits and risks to determine the effective and safe method for the client. The client should be given information on the side effects and non-contraceptivebenefitsof each method to make her make a valid choice(Gebbie, White & Glasier, 2009). The health care provider should also help the female patients determine the potential barriers to using some of the methods.

Estrogen-containing pill and Progestin-only pill

The progestin-only pill is a better oral contraception method than estrogen-containing pills. The progestin-only pill is better because it does not have many side effects and can be used by breastfeeding mothers. Thepill does not change the milk production unlike the estrogen containing pill. Besides, it is safer for women above the age of 35 years and the ones with a history of blood pressure(Gebbie, White & Glasier, 2009). On the contrary, the estrogen-containing pills cannot be recommended to patients aged above 35 years, patients with blood pressure history or the ones with histories of blood clotting.

Counseling on Intrauterine device

The patients seeking guidance on the use of intrauterine devices should be given information on their use, their benefits as well as the side effects to make a valid choice. The patients should be given information on the effectiveness of IUDs and the factors that determine their efficacy in individuals such as age, sexual activity, and parity. For instance, most IUDs have a failure rate of 1-2%(CDC, n.d.). They also need the information on the duration of action as all the copper IUDs are licensed to act for five years. There are several types of IUDs existing in two forms, i.e. the long-acting devices and the Short-stemmed devices.Before making the decision on the IUDs, the patient should know their benefits such as the rapid return of fertility post removal as well as the disadvantages. The information on the contraindications should be made accessible to the patient(Gebbie, White & Glasier, 2009).For instance, IUDs havea historyof pelvic inflammatory diseases, postpartum endometritis and the distortion of the uterine cavity. The IUDs should never be used by patients with copper allergies. Some of the misconceptions falsehoods and stigma of using IUDs include trigger of lactation and use only by mothers with children. When patients come with such falsehoods and misconceptions,they should be equipped with information on the use of the IUDs,the types, benefits and side effects from relevant sources for them to believe.

Emergency contraception

The nurse practitioner should collect information on the medical history of the patients who want advice on the use of emergency contraceptives (CDC, n.d.). The history includes information on whether the patient has ever used emergencycontraceptives and for what purposes.Besides, the nurse should get the information on the history of the use of contraception from the patient and the sexual history. In this case, I would give emergency contraception to the 19-year old university student. Emergency contraception is a safe and effective method that is good for emergency conditions(CDC, n.d.). The woman might be worried about unintended pregnancy thus the method would serve the purpose instead of letting her go and opt for an abortion after some time. Emergency contraceptive pills are widely recommended in the United States, especially for teenagers to avert the high rate of unintended pregnancies and the consequent abortions.

Conclusion

The use of different methods of contraception should be encouraged through health awareness campaigns to prevent unintended pregnancies among women of productive age. The health care providers should help the patients in selecting the best method by assisting them in the selection process and offering the necessary guidance. The patients should have information on their benefits, risks, and contraindications.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.). Contraception.
Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/unintended
pregnancy/contraception.htm#1

Gebbie, A., White, K., & Glasier, A. (2009). Contraception. Abingdon, Oxon.: Health Press.

Peterson, H., Jeng, G., Folger, S., Hillis, S., Marchbanks, P., & Wilcox, L. (2000). The Risk of Menstrual Abnormalities after Tubal Sterilization. New England Journal Of Medicine, 343(23), 1681-1687. doi:10.1056/nejm200012073432303