What is contraception?
Family planningFamily planningWhen you plan your family, you decide whether, when and how many children…Read more
Contraception prevents women from getting pregnant.
You and your partnerPartnerPerson you are in a relationship with.Read more can decide whether you want to have children, when you want to have them and how many children you want to have. This is called family planning. When you want to have sexual intercourse, but do not plan to have a child (yet), you can avoid pregnancyPregnancyThe time when a woman is expecting a baby. The pregnancy begins when…Read more with contraceptionContraceptionMeans and methods of preventing pregnancy. Condoms and the contraceptive pill are examples…Read more.
Contraception does not make a woman less fertileFertileIf you are fertile, you are able to have a baby (if you…Read more. When she stops using contraception, she can have children.
Protection against HIVHIVA virus (human immunodeficiency virus) that affects the natural immune system. When someone…Read more and STIs
The condom is a method of contraception that also protects you against HIV and reduces the riskRiskPossibility that something unpleasant may happen, for example a disease.Read more of getting an STISTISTI means sexually transmitted infection: an infection that is usually only transmitted by…Read more.
Condom
Different methods of contraception
There are different methods of contraception. You can choose which method is best for you and your partner. Methods vary a lot, for example in:
- their price;
- their availability;
- the way they are used.
Contraception is not bad for one’s healthHealthFeeling physically, mentally and socially well in your environment. Health is more than…Read more. Some methods of contraception suit a particular person’s lifestyle, age and physical condition better than others.
Contraception works well if you use it correctly. For this reason, it is important to choose a method that suits you. If a method does not work for you, you can try another method of contraception.
Ask a health professional for advice. A health professional cannot pass on any information about you to anybody else. He/she is obliged by lawLawRules which decide what you may and may not do. Every country has…Read more to respectRespectFeeling of appreciation for a person. If you respect another person, you think…Read more your privacy. You can also talk about contraception with your partner.
Buying contraception
You can buy male condoms and female condoms without a prescriptionPrescriptionSmall paper on which the doctor writes which medicines you have to take. With…Read more at a pharmacyPharmacyShop where you can get medicines with a prescription from your doctor. Read more, chemist or supermarket. You can also buy condoms on the Internet, e.g. https://www.condoomsenzo.nl/.
In the Netherlands, you can also buy emergency contraception (morning after pill) without a prescription at a pharmacy or chemist. You can buy most other contraception at a pharmacy, with a prescription from a general practitioner.