Consider your learning from today's lesson

You can minimise the risk of pregnancy resulting from sex by using contraception.

How many contraception methods are advised by the NHS in the UK?

All contraception is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy.

Condoms are a type of contraception.

Condoms are only available from a doctor.

Contraception – Preventing pregnancy (and infection)

﻿Hello, my name's Mrs. O'Neill. Thank you for joining me today for our seventh and final lesson in our unit about intimate relationships, positivity and health. Today's lesson focuses on contraception. So today's lesson mainly deals with what's known as contraception. It's about preventing pregnancy. We will also touch upon preventing infection because there is a crossover, particularly when we're going to talk about the use of condoms. This lesson does cover intimate relationships and that may be a sensitive topic to you so we do recommend checking with a trusted adult before starting or doing the lesson with a trusted adult nearby. Let's begin. So in this lesson, you will need an exercise book or a piece of paper and a pen or something else to write with. So our agenda for today's lesson. Hopefully you've already completed our introduction quiz. If you haven't, press pause and pop back to complete that before we carry on. And at the end of the lesson, I will of course direct you to our exit quiz. We're going to look at the purpose of contraception. We're going to look at a range of contraception types, and we're going to talk about the use of condoms and condom choice. So that's our agenda for today. So our key words: contraception. This is the deliberate or intended prevention of pregnancy occurring through sexual intercourse, either by artificial methods or other techniques. So essentially contraception aims to stop yourself or your partner getting pregnant, even though you're having sexual intercourse. Condoms are a popular form of contraception that also help prevent sexually transmitted infections. So I'm going to ask you first of all to pause the video and to write down an answer to this question. Why do you think preventing pregnancy is important to many people? Please pause the video, jot down your ideas, press play when you're ready to continue. What sort of things have you written down? Perhaps you've written that for some people they're too young to want to have a child, but they do feel that they are ready for a sexual relationship. Some people feel that they're simply not ready yet at that particular stage in their life for a baby and that might be because they're too young or it might be that actually that further along, they're older, they may be in fact be in their twenties, thirties, forties, yet actually feel they're not ready to have a baby at that point. There may be medical concerns, either physical or mental that means somebody feels that being pregnant isn't right for them and there is of course the choice to be child-free, which many people believe is right for them. They think that having a baby isn't something that suits their lifestyle, isn't something that they feel is for them and that's absolutely normal and fine. And again, it's another reason why they may want to prevent pregnancy. So the purpose of contraception. I am going to remind you at this point in the lesson, that of course sexual intercourse is not legal until the age of 16. We've covered that in previous lessons in this unit, but I just wanted to remind you of that now, but for those people who are 16 or who've made the decision that they are going to have sex, but do not want to become pregnant, they would need to seek use of the correct contraceptive for them because there are many kinds. It's also something worth mentioning that this lesson is not designed just for those in male/female heterosexual relationships. There are of course, many people who are transgender. It may be that even if that person is in a male/male, or a female/female relationship, that because of that biological sex, they may need to ensure that they use contraception in order to prevent a pregnancy, if that is what they aim to do. So this lesson is important for anybody where pregnancy is a risk and we'll inform you of the different methods that are available in order to prevent pregnancy. So the purpose of contraception here. All contraceptives do reduce the risk of pregnancy, but some are more effective than others. Currently there's 15 different kinds of contraceptive listed on the NHS website so you can imagine that there's lots to consider here. There's only one form of contraceptive, the condom, which also protects people from sexually transmitted infections. We'll talk more about that later on. No contraceptive method is 100% effective, but using them properly does make a big difference. So a true or false question: contraception is 100% effective in preventing pregnancies. Is that true or is that false? Please point to the screen, to the correct answer now. See if you're correct, it is indeed false. No contraception is 100% effective in preventing pregnancies. However, contraception can be highly effective if used correctly. So let's have a look at the range of contraception types. As I said, currently there's 15 different kinds of contraception listed on the NHS website. Some of these types of contraception are perhaps a little bit old-fashioned one might argue. Some are types that have been used for many, many years by previous generations and there are some that are much more modern and that older generations might not be familiar with and that might suit young people today. Of course, anybody seeking contraception, seeking the right kind of contraception for them, if there's any confusion, of course they should seek some medical advice by seeing their GP or by attending a sexual health clinic. And again, I'll give you more information about that later on. So essentially there's four different categories of contraception: the hormonal contraception, and this essentially blocks chemical messages in the body. Examples of hormonal contraception include the pill and there's two kinds of pill. The combined pill and the mini pill. The difference is due to the hormones that are in each, the combined pill contains oestrogen and progesterone, the mini pill's just progesterone and that means they have to be taken differently and may have slightly different side effects or be suitable to slightly different kinds of people. The hormonal coil. Now the hormonal coil is something that is inserted through the vagina, into the uterus or womb. And it again, releases hormones that blocks chemical messages in the body, which enables pregnancy to be prevented, it's stopping egg release. The implant, injection, patch and vaginal ring. These again are all kinds of hormonal contraceptives. In particular the implant which is normally inserted into the top of the arm or the hormonal contraceptive injection, they are examples of long term reversible contraception. That means that the person who has the implant or the injection or indeed the hormonal coil fitted, they don't have to remember day to day to take a pill or to remember to do something in order to not get pregnant. The person who is in receipt of that type of contraception can decide at a later date to have it removed, but knows that for a long period of time, they're pretty certain that they don't want to get pregnant. So this is something that they can sort out with their medical professional, but then they don't have to worry and think about it for a long period of time until they're ready to maybe make a decision that actually maybe they do want to try for a baby later on down the line. The barrier type of contraception. This is where there is a physical blockage made between the sperm and it meeting the egg. So the barrier prevents conception occurring. So the diaphragm I've mentioned there and this is one that perhaps isn't used as often today as it used to be and it is used alongside to be absolutely more efficient and more effective, it's used alongside a gel called the spermicide. A person with a vagina can insert a diaphragm into the vagina. It goes quite high up and during sex can't usually be felt by the person with the penis and it does create that barrier so that the sperm cannot meet the egg. The condom, which we'll talk about in more detail later in the lesson, there is a version for the male and the female as they're known or one that's to be worn by someone with a penis and one to be worn by someone with a vagina that creates a physical barrier between the sperm and the egg. There's permanent kinds of contraception. In a male body that's called a vasectomy and in a female body that's called sterilisation and they're operations that take place in order to prevent permanently somebody from being able to reproduce. There's also other kinds such as the copper coil and natural family planning. I'd suggest if you're interested in any other kinds of contraception you look at the NHS website that goes through all the different kinds of contraception in more detail. So we're going to do a task now, a match up activity. You can see four key terms there that we've just talked about. Condom, implant, natural family planning, and vasectomy. What category do each of these different examples of contraceptives match up with? Please pause the video, match up the correct term or type of contraceptive with the correct category, jot that down on a piece of paper and press play when you're ready to continue. Thank you. Let's see if you've got the right answer. So condom is a barrier type of contraceptive. The implant is a hormonal type of contraceptive. Natural family planning came under other. And a vasectomy was permanent. There is also something called emergency contraception and there's two types available: the morning after pill and emergency IUD coil. Now emergency contraception is something that can be taken or can be given very soon after unprotected sexual intercourse has taken place, or if there's been an issue such as a broken condom and the person is worried that that's not going to have effectively prevent pregnancy, but emergency contraception becomes less effective with every day. So a person should seek help quickly and immediately as quick as they can, if they are concerned and they think that they need emergency contraception. It certainly should not be used as a regular method contraception and it doesn't protect against STIs. For many young people if they do have unprotected sex, or if there has been an issue like a broken condom, they can go to their doctor, their local sexual health clinic or a chemist or pharmacy to seek help and that would normally come in the form of the morning after pill, which is a pill that's taken and will prevent the sperm and the egg meeting. That pill is sometimes taken as one or as two separate pills depending on the brand. But again, it's something that really does need to be considered not as a long term form of contraception. It really should only be used in an emergency. So what might be the negatives of emergency contraception? Please pause the video now, and jot down your ideas and press play when we're ready to continue. So they don't prevent STI transmission. They are less effective every day. We're going to now talk in more depth about condom use. Condoms can be used in any relationship where at least one of the people in that relationship has a penis and condoms have the double advantage of protecting against STIs, sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. They keep body fluids separate. Now condoms can be used at the same time as other contraceptives. So perhaps if somebody was taking the contraceptive pill or if they had a hormone or coil fitted but they are having sex and want to be double sure that they can't get pregnant or want to be double sure that actually they're not going to catch an STI, then condoms are perfect for that because they can be used at the same time as those other contraceptives and they're normally really effective if the right size is chosen and if used correctly. Now sometimes condoms don't work. They could split, they can fall off. So it's really, really important that when you use condoms that you check the expiry date, because that will hopefully mean if one's being used that is within date and it's less likely to split. And it's important to read the instructions that come with the condom packet in order to ensure that it's being used properly. Condoms should also be stored in a cool dry place, because again, that will reduce their shelf life and make it more likely that they could become damaged if not. So the true or false question here: condoms can be used at the same time as other contraception. Is that true or is that false? Please point to the correct answer now. That is of course true. Condoms will last forever. They have no expiry date. Is that true or is that false? Point to the correct answer now. Let's see if you're correct. That is of course false because they do have an expiry date and they can be ineffective or less effective if used after this date. So a little bit more about condom choice. Condoms are available free for young people from GPs and health centres. They're also available in latex and non-latex. Latex is the most common but some people are allergic to latex. There are female and male types. Essentially what that refers to is the male type of condom being used by somebody with a penis and the female type of condom being used on somebody who has a vagina, and they do work differently. Male condoms that go on the penis, as I've said, and the female condoms sometimes called femidoms put inside the vagina with a ring that stays outside the body. What are just some of the advantages of using condoms? Please can you pause the video and copy and complete that sentence? Some advantages of condoms are they're widely available. There's protection for same sex and opposite sex couples and they protect against STIs and pregnancy. Final reflection. Why do you think it's important and beneficial that there's a range and choice of contraception types available? Please think about that as we finish this lesson and going forward into the future. Or that you may need to use a type of contraception and just having an awareness of the different available might make that journey and those choices a little bit easier for you. So support. You might need support regarding the content of this lesson. You might need more information either now or in the future. You can speak to your GP or the health professional, for example, a local sexual health clinic, if needed. They will be able to give you advice. They may be able to provide contraception to you, the right kind as and when you need it and as it's deemed appropriate to you. You might consult Brook, can find them online if you Google Brook, they can give lots of advice via their website and also have centres you can visit where you can speak to experts and experienced people who can advise you on matters around sexual health and contraception. You might want to speak to a trusted adult like a teacher or family member. As I've mentioned previously on the NHS website there is a really good overview of all aspects of contraception and all the different types. So if you want more information about a specific type of contraception, then you can look at the NHS website to find that out, really simple to find with a simple search engine. If you've got concerns that are really worrying you, you can call Childline who might signpost you elsewhere, or might just be a very good listening ear. They can be reached over the telephone on the number you see on the screen, 0800 1111. In an emergency you can contact the Samaritans for someone to talk to urgently or 999 if that's appropriate, if you believe you're in danger, a crime has been committed, et cetera. Thank you so much for listening to me today. I really hope that I've set the scene on the issue of contraception for yourself going forward, whether it be that you are in a same sex or an opposite sex relationship. Please do complete today's exit quiz. Don't forget to do that and I'd like to wish you the best of luck in the future with us now having completed this unit all about intimate relations, positivity, and health. Hope to see you in another Oak RSHE lesson soon. Thank you.

Contraceptive methods can be used to prevent...

‘The pill’ is a form of contraception.

Which option below is a permanent method of contraception.

Emergency contraception can be effectively used for several weeks after unprotected sex.

Which material, that condoms are usually made of, causes an allergic reaction in some people?

Range of contraception types (including emergency contraception)

This lesson will focus on the purpose and range of contraception, particularly condoms.  This lesson covers some content that may be a sensitive topic for you. We recommend checking with a trusted adult before starting or doing the lesson with a trusted adult nearby.

Lesson overview:Contraception - preventing pregnancy (and infection)

Core Content

Disciplinary Knowledge

Content guidance

Supervision Level

Intimate relationships: Positivity and health: