Different types of contraception

There are lots of different types of contraception.

We have explained each of these in more detail below.

Condoms

• There are male and female condoms.
• A male condom is a thin tube of rubber that is put on a penis or inside a vagina.
• A female condom is a soft rubber pouch with a ring at one end that’s put inside the vagina.
• Condoms are sold in most chemists and supermarkets.
• They are cheap and easy to use.

Dental dam

• A piece of square plastic that is used as a barrier between a person’s mouth and another person’s vagina during oral sex – a mouth on a penis or vagina.
• You can buy them at chemists and health clinics.
• They are cheap and easy to use.

Contraceptive Pills

• A pill that women take at the same time each day so they don’t get pregnant.
• You need to see a doctor to get the pill.
• There are 2 types of contraceptive pills:
  • the Combined Pill
  • the Mini Pill.

Depo Provera

• A needle injection that is given to a woman every 12 weeks.
• You have to see a doctor to get the injection.

The Implanon

• A small 4cm rod that has to be put under your skin by a doctor.
• It lasts for 3 years.

IUDs

• A small, T-shaped device.
• A doctor or nurse needs to put it in your uterus.
• There are 2 types of IUDs:
  • the Mirena
  • the Copper IUD.

Download the WWDA Easy English Book: Safer Sex and Contraception to learn more about the different types of contraception.

You can also go to the Contraception Australia website.