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Contraceptive (barrier)

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Condoms, cervical caps, vaginal diaphragms, and chemically impregnated sponges may be used to prevent viable sperm from gaining access to the endometrial cavity, fallopian tubes and peritoneal cavity.

Advantages include:

  • obtainable without prescription
  • no serious complications
  • low failure rate if couple well motivated - 5% failure rate achievable

Disadvantages include:

  • high coital dependence
  • high failure rate if couple poorly motivated

Reference

  1. Barrier methods for contraception and STI prevention. Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (August 2012 - updated October 2015)

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The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

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