Benefits and limitations of nonhormonal contraception

Nonhormonal contraceptives have become increasingly more popular in recent years. The front runner is the condom, which belongs to the group of barrier methods. Other nonhormonal methods are natural family planning, intrauterine devices and surgical methods (sterilization, vasectomy). The effectiveness of the barrier methods and of natural family planning heavily depends on the consistent and correct application, while the insertion of intrauterine pessaries or surgical methods are independent of the application. Therefore, these methods also have a high contraceptive effectiveness. Individual counselling is important before choosing the contraceptive method, which takes the current life situation of the user, the contraceptive effectiveness, possible health risks and the acceptance of the method into account.