Which Birth Control Method Is Best for You? IF A BABY IS NOT ON YOUR "TO.DO" LIST JUST NOW, CONTRACEPTION IS A MUST. HERE, DR MIRIAM STOPPARD LOOKS AT THE VARIETY OF METHODS ON OFFER

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Byline: MIRIAM STOPPARD

To mark World Population Day yesterday, a ground-breaking global Family Planning Summit was held in London hosted by the Government to raise awareness and provide an additional 120 million women in the world's poorest countries with life-saving contraceptives and services.

But contraception is an issue that affects all women everywhere and if you need advice on family planning read my comprehensive guide to see what is the right type for you depending on age and circumstance.

WHAT METHOD IS BEST FOR ME?

The best method for you is the one that is most effective, but effectiveness can be judged by two criteria: theoretical and actual. Invariably, the latter has a high failure rate due to human error.

The least effective, largely because of the human element, are the so-called "natural" methods, the ones that rely on determining safe periods and abstaining from intercourse during that time. As all the medical complications of pregnancy outweigh those of taking the combined pill, getting pregnant is always more risky than taking the pill. Contraceptives with the greatest risk are those with the highest failure rate.

Your choice of birth control will probably change during your fertile years. No one method is ideal for a long time, punctuated as it may be by planned pregnancies and changes in sexual partners.

NATURAL METHODS

These methods include the oldest forms of contraception but with the highest failure rates:

Periodic …