Birth Control & Contraception / HIV & AIDS

Jeanette B . Moore

December 13 , 2006

W .C . Bradley , MTS , PhD

Human Sexuality

SS-50-1603

Birth Control vs . Contraception

HIV AIDS

Birth Control and Contraception

According to Kippley Kippley (1996 , birth control is defined as a procedure of one or more medications , devices or actions followed so as to intentionally reduce or prevent the possibility of a woman being pregnant or giving birth . The term birth control is frequently used synonymously with such terms as contraception , family planning and fertility control . However , birth control includes abortion to prevent

a birth , while family planning methods clearly do not consist of abortion Methods that are meant to reduce or lessen the possibility of the fertilization of an ovum by a spermatozoon might be more particularly be called contraception . Contraception is different from abortion in that contraception prevents fertilization whereas abortion ends an already recognized pregnancy . Procedures of birth control that might prevent the implantation of an embryo if fertilization takes place are medically considered to be contraception but typified by several adversaries as abortifacients

Riddle (1999 ) said that oral contraceptive pill is considered to be the most popular kind of birth control . There are various brands of the pill and they come in packs of 21 or 28 pills . One pill is taken every day The first 21 pills have a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone hormones . The oral contraceptive pill stops ovulation stopping the ovaries from releasing eggs . Moreover , the pill likewise thickens cervical mucus , making it harder for sperm to enter the uterus Then , the hormones in the pill prevent fertilization . The pill is 92-99 .7 effective as birth control . In addition , it does not protect against reproductive tract infections , including HIV /AIDS . Meanwhile Riddle (1999 ) also maintained that condoms are called barrier methods of birth control because they put up a block , or barrier , which keeps the sperm from reaching the egg . Only latex or polyurethane (because some people are allergic to latex ) condoms are proven to help protect against STDs , including HIV

HIV /AIDS

Greener (2002 ) asserted that human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is considered as a retrovirus , which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS . AIDS is a condition in humans wherein the immune system starts to fail causing life-threatening opportunistic infections Infection with HIV happens by means of the transfer of semen , vaginal fluid , blood , Cowper 's fluid or breast milk . Within these body fluids HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells . The three primary routes of transmission are unprotected sexual intercourse , contaminated needles and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth or by way of breast milk Screening of blood products for HIV in the developed world has largely get rid of transmission by means of infected blood products or blood transfusions

HIV has been discovered at low concentrations in the urine , tears , and saliva of infected humans however , the risk of transmission by these secretions is insignificant

At present , there is no vaccine or cure...