Skip to main content
The Whole Truth About Contraception: A Guide to Safe and Effective Choices

VIEW LARGER COVER

The Whole Truth About Contraception

A Guide to Safe and Effective Choices (1997)

What birth control method is most reliable? Can contraceptives protect me from AIDS? How can I choose the method that's best for me? Finding the answers to these and other questions about birth control can be tough. On the one hand, today's sexually active person has many contraceptive options. On the other hand, each option has pluses and minuses that must be weighed.

For teenagers especially, asking questions about birth control can be awkward and difficult. Yet teenagers may be in greatest need of the facts.

While there is no "right" method for everyone, The Whole Truth About Contraception is the right book for anyone making decisions about contraception—men and women, from teenagers to middle-agers. It illustrates male and female anatomy and explains how conception occurs. The book carefully describes the birth control methods available today: barrier (such as condoms and diaphragms), hormonal (the Pill and Norplant), intrauterine devices, surgical sterilization, and other approaches such as the "rhythm" method and breastfeeding as a contraceptive.

For each method the authors discuss how well it prevents pregnancy, its potential effects on the user's health, and common problems. Illustrated "how to" sections are provided, and the authors comment on how each method typically affects sexual experience. The book also discusses how birth control products can be obtained and their cost.

Precautions, tips on usage, and other features throughout the book will help each reader decide what type of contraception is best for his or her age, personal preferences, and situation in life.

The Whole Truth About Contraception gives up-to-date information on new products, such as the female condom and the nonlatex male condom. The book provides details about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases, with an emphasis on AIDS.

Also offered is an expanded discussion of "emergency" contraception, designed for use after unprotected sex. The book includes a full and factual discussion of abortion.

Contraception may be the most important and deeply personal choice anyone has to make. This book provides the straight facts that will make the decision easier—and the results better for everyone.

Joseph Henry Press logo Contractual obligations prohibit us from offering a free PDF of this title published under the Joseph Henry Press imprint of the National Academies Press.

The views expressed in this book are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Academies.

Suggested Citation

Beverly Winikoff, et al. 1997. The Whole Truth About Contraception: A Guide to Safe and Effective Choices. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/5281.

Import this citation to:

Publication Info

283 pages |  6 x 9 | 

ISBNs: 
  • Paperback:  978-0-309-05494-2
  • PDF Full Book:  978-0-309-52263-2
  • Ebook:  978-0-309-18479-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/5281

Copyright Information

The National Academies Press (NAP) has partnered with Copyright Clearance Center's Marketplace service to offer you a variety of options for reusing NAP content. Through Marketplace, you may request permission to reprint NAP content in another publication, course pack, secure website, or other media. Marketplace allows you to instantly obtain permission, pay related fees, and print a license directly from the NAP website. The complete terms and conditions of your reuse license can be found in the license agreement that will be made available to you during the online order process. To request permission through Marketplace you are required to create an account by filling out a simple online form. The following list describes license reuses offered by the NAP through Marketplace:

  • Republish text, tables, figures, or images in print
  • Post on a secure Intranet/Extranet website
  • Use in a PowerPoint Presentation
  • Distribute via CD-ROM
  • Photocopy

Click here to obtain permission for the above reuses. If you have questions or comments concerning the Marketplace service, please contact:

Marketplace Support
International +1.978.646.2600
US Toll Free +1.855.239.3415
E-mail: support@copyright.com
marketplace.copyright.com

To request permission to distribute a PDF, please contact our Customer Service Department at customer_service@nap.edu.