 In our previous video, we discussed about natural methods of birth control, but we also came to know that these methods have very, very high failure rate. And that is why scientists and doctors have to come up with artificial methods of birth control that are of higher efficiency. So in this video, we are going to talk all about the different artificial methods of birth control that exist. But before we do that, I would like to show you some data from the World Health Organization website. And as you can see, they have mentioned that approximately 12 million girls aged 15 to 19 years, they give birth each year. At least 10 million unintended pregnancies occur each year among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years in the developing world. And again, estimated 5.6 million abortions occur each year among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years. So sad, you see. 15 to 19 years is such a young age, and probably most of them are not capable of taking the responsibility of a new life and yet end up getting pregnant, probably because they have very vague knowledge about the methods of birth control that exist. So learning about this topic is not just for gaining marks in exams, but this topic is for life. So having said that, let us begin our discussion about the artificial method of birth control. But before we discuss about how to control birth or how to control pregnancy, one needs to know how does pregnancy takes place, right? So let us quickly recall what we discussed already in our previous video. So for that, we have a part of the femur reproductive organ. These two are the pair of ovaries, and this part here is the uterus. This opening here is called the cervix, and the opening to the outside is called a vagina. And every month, alternately, these ovaries release an egg into the fallopian tube and the sperm cells that are released in the vagina after sexual intercourse, it swims through the cervix, through the uterus, into the fallopian tube, fertilizes the egg, and then the egg, which is fertilized, which is now called the zygote, slowly moves down the uterus and gets embedded in the uterine wall. This is what happens, and this is how pregnancy takes place. Now, if you were a doctor or a scientist and you were asked to find out ways and means to prevent pregnancy, just looking at all the sequence of events that took place, what would you come up with? Pause the video and take a moment to think about it. All right, so if you ask me, I would say that how about we put some drugs or chemicals, drugs in the vagina beforehand so that after sexual intercourse, when the sperms are released in the vagina, those drugs or those chemicals can kill the sperm cells. That can be a way, right? Or how about we block the cervix? We put something here so tight that the sperm cannot penetrate and it cannot go up. Or how about we do not do any of this, but somehow stop the ovaries from releasing the egg? And if there is no egg, there is no question of pregnancy, right? Or how about we just cut this tube somewhere here? And the connection will be lost, and if there is no connection, the sperms cannot swim up to the egg cells. Well, don't worry, this cutting of the tube won't kill the person, but this can be done, right? Well, now if you're wondering that, hey, are these even possible or you're just making up things. Well, all these different methods that we just discussed are possible and people are practicing it for years now. So all these different methods are categorized into six different types under the artificial methods. And these six different types are barrier method, in which we put a barrier between the sperm and the ovum. The sperm-y sides are the drugs that we talked about, which can be put in the vagina that can kill or immobilize the sperm. Third is the intrauterine devices. These are devices put in the uterus, and they somehow stand in the way of implantation. And fourth and fifth are pills and injections. They stand in the way of the hormonal balance. They somehow play with the balance of the hormone in a way that it can stop ovulation, that is release of egg. And sixth is the surgical method. Remember we discussed about cutting the Philippian tube? That comes under the surgical method. Now that we have so many different methods, how will one select which one is the right one for him or her? Well, for that, a person should have a good knowledge about each of these different methods, about the pros and cons of each. So let us dive deep into each of the different methods. Let us understand more and we will begin with the barrier method, the first method. In this, a barrier is created between the egg cell, which would be somewhere here, and the sperm cell that will be in the vaginal area. So a barrier is created between the two, and the very common and popular example are the condoms. And as you can already guess from the picture that they are available both for male and female. Talking about the male condom, they are tubular latex sheet which is rolled over the male penis and they are worn before sexual intercourse, so that when a person ejaculates his sperm, all his body fluid are all captured in the condom. And nothing gets inside the female's body. In fact, this is the only contraceptive method that prevents the contact of body fluid between the partners. And that is why condoms can prevent sexually transmitted infections. In India, there is a brand called Neroad for male condoms, which is provided by the Family Welfare Services in India. Now apart from Neroad, there are multiple brands in India that sells condom and they are cheap and very easily available. And since it also protects from sexually transmitted infections, it is considered a superior method of contraception. But there are downsides as well. Since condoms are very thin, there are high chances that it may break during sexual intercourse, leading to the release of body fluid into the female's body. And also since they are made of latex, many people are allergic to latex, so that can be another problem. But even with these downsides, condoms are one of the most popular and widely used contraceptions. Now talking about the female condom, it is not as popular as the male condoms, nor are they very easily available in the market. Well, a cost can be one of the reasons for that because female condoms are comparatively expensive. Well, now let us understand how there's one where a female condom. And as you can see, the female condom has two rings on both ends. The closed end goes into the vagina. Let's say this is the closed end. And it is long like this. And the open end stays outside the female's body. Now during sexual intercourse, if any fluid is released inside the vagina, that will be captured in this female condom. And that is how female condom also saves both the partners from sexually transmitted infections. Now apart from condom, there are other barrier methods, one of which is called a diaphragm. So this diaphragm, as you can see, are tubular rubber sheets with flexible metal or spring ring here. This ring that you see, it is either of metal or spring. And it fits somewhere here in the vagina. So it will cover the cervix entirely, thus creating a barrier between the sperm and the egg cell. So this diaphragm has to be inserted before sexual intercourse and is removed several hours after sexual intercourse. Now there is another contraceptive, which looks just like diaphragm, but is smaller in size, which is called walled caps. So this walled cap do not have a metal or spring ring here. Instead, it is entirely made of rubber or plastic with a thick rim. And it fits over the vaginal wall. It do not cover as much area as the diaphragm do, but it definitely blocks the cervical passage. And just like the diaphragm and the walled cap, there is another one, which is a little different in shape, which is called the cervical cap. And because of its shape, it is often referred to as the sailor's hat type of contraceptive. It looks like a hat, right? So this also is made of rubber and is made in a way that it fits in the cervical area and it stays there by suction. And just like the two of them, cervical cap also blocks the sperm from crossing the cervix. And all these three different types of contraceptives are reusable. We can wash and reuse them while condoms cannot be reused. But there is a very big disadvantage of this three type of barrier method is that they cannot save the partners from sexually transmitted infections because after all, the body fluid do come in contact with the female's body, right? And also it has higher failure rates than condoms because the cervical cap, diaphragm, walled cap, they have very high chances of getting displaced during sexual intercourse. Therefore, doctors suggest that these three type of contraceptions should be used along with something called the spermicides. And from the name, you can guess that it is something that can kill sperms. So spermicides comes in the form of cream, jellies or foam that is applied on all these three different type of contraceptives and then put into the vagina before sexual intercourse. And chemically, they mostly contain lactic acid, boric acid, citric acid, zinc sulfate, and potassium permanganate. So different creams and different jellies would have different compositions but these are the main things that are present in spermicides. And they basically work by making the entire vaginal area extremely acidic and not suitable for the sperms. So the sperms membrane gets disrupted in such an environment and thus gets killed. And again, this spermicides, if they are used alone, is not very effective and that is why it is asked to use with the barrier methods like the diaphragms or cervical caps, walls or sometimes even with condoms. Now like any artificial methods, spermicides also have their side effects and as you can see it is composed of all acids. Something not very suitable for one's body. But in this case, it is put inside the female's vagina. So most women complain of having irritation or burning sensation inside the vagina due to some of these spermicides. So in this video, we discussed about barrier method and chemical method, which is the spermicides. And in the future video, we will talk about the rest four artificial methods of birth control.