There are many types of contraception. Please refer to these links for details:

• Resuming Sexual Relations and Contraception – Health Promotion Board
• Types of Contraception – Young Women’s Health
• Preventing Pregnancy with Contraception – Health Promotion Board
• Sex Etc – Sex Education for Teens 
• WTF Zine  – Sex education for young people

• The effectiveness of contraception depends on whether or not it is used properly.
• There are two different measures of contraception effectiveness:
  • “Perfect use” measures the effectiveness when a contraceptive is used exactly according to clinical guidelines.
  • “Typical use” measures how effective a method is for the average person who does not always use the method correctly or consistently.

For example, a woman who never forgets to take her pill will experience almost complete protection against pregnancy. But often a person may miss a day for one reason or another, in which case the risk of pregnancy increases.

Typically, effectiveness is closer to 92%, meaning on average 8 in 100 women taking oral contraceptives will become pregnant in the first year of use.

Male condoms can easily be purchased in most supermarkets, convenience stores or pharmacies, for $4-15 for a pack. Other forms of contraception require a visit to your GP or polyclinic for a prescription.

Note: This information is based on phone enquiries made to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital on 30 May 2014. Costs may vary by clinic and date as well as your own circumstances. Additional costs may apply for non-Singaporeans.

Oral contraception – Oral contraception, also called birth control pills, usually cost around $35-40 for a bottle, lasting around a month. Consultation charges at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital are listed below. Charges might vary at different clinics.

Female Sterilisation – $3150 for private patient, unto $1500 can be claimed by medical insurance and the rest paid by cash.

Intrauterine device (IUD) (lasts 3 or 5 years) – Approximately $400-500

Contraceptive injection – Costs $150-200 per procedure, including consultation charges)

Birth control implant (5 years) – Between $400 to 500

See information on emergency contraception here.

Myth: Birth control pills causes abortions.
Fact: Birth control does NOT cause an abortion or end a pregnancy. Birth control PREVENTS fertilisation and/or pregnancy.

Hormonal methods work by stopping ovaries from releasing eggs. Hormonal methods can also increase the amount of natural mucus on the cervix. The thicker mucus makes it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus or travel well enough to fertilise an egg.

Barrier methods like condoms and female condoms physically block sperm entering the vagina and uterus. Non-hormonal IUDs (ParaGard) kill sperm and/or affect sperm motility.

Sources: Columbia.edu, Planned Parenthood, National Health Service UK

Myth: Birth control can make you infertile.
Fact: The only permanent form of birth control is sterilisation.

Myth: Birth control pills increase the risk of breast cancer.
Fact: Recent research shows that birth control pills methods have little, if any, effect on developing breast cancer. Oral contraceptives may only lead to a “slightly higher risk” of breast cancer, and this effect ceases ten years after use is discontinued.

Certain forms of hormonal birth control can actually decrease a woman’s risk of developing other types of cancers, such as ovarian and endometrial cancers.

Source: Cancer.gov

Myth: Condoms have a high failure rate.
Fact: Male condoms are 98% effective if used correctly. This means that 2 women in 100 whose partners use a condom will get pregnant in a year. Female condoms are 95% effective if used correctly. Five women in 100 who use a female condom will get pregnant in a year.

Source: National Health Service UK

Myth: Condoms do not stop transmission of HIV.
Fact: Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, are highly effective in preventing the sexual transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Source: Centre for Disease Control and Prevention

Emergency contraception, also known as “Plan B” and “the morning after pill”, is birth control you can use to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. It is widely available in Singapore. Different brands provide either one or a set of two pills you need to take.

Emergency contraception is usually more effective the earlier you take it after unprotected sex. If you need emergency contraception, visit a doctor as soon as possible, ideally within 48-72 hours of unprotected sex.

Emergency contraception is not the same thing as the “abortion pill” (mifepristone/RU-486). If you are already pregnant, emergency contraception does not cause an abortion. Emergency contraception is estimated to reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75-90%.

You can take emergency contraception if any of the following situations occur:

• Condom broke during sex
• Condom came off during sex
• You or your partner forgot to use a condom
• You forgot to take oral contraception (birth control pill)
• You were forced into unprotected sex by anyone, including a boyfriend or husband

In Singapore, emergency contraception is only available with a prescription, so you need to consult a doctor (general practitioners can usually help). If your doctor can’t provide the pill, please visit another GP. Any woman, regardless of age, can get the drug from a doctor or GP subject to a consultation.

A woman must consult the doctor herself; a man cannot consult with the doctor on behalf of his partner. In other words, if you are a man whose partner needs emergency contraception, she needs to see the doctor herself. Please inform your doctor if you have any allergies or are already taking any medication.

Take emergency contraception as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. It is normal for your next menses after taking the morning after pill to be different from usual. It may be up to one week earlier or later, heavier or lighter.

If you do not get your menses within three weeks of taking emergency contraception, or if you have any symptoms of pregnancy, take a pregnancy test or schedule an appointment with your doctor. If you have bleeding or spotting that lasts longer than a week or develop severe lower abdominal pain three to five weeks after taking the morning-after pill, contact your doctor.

Emergency contraception is equivalent to taking a high dose of hormonal oral contraception (birth control pills). Due to the large dose of hormones, there may be some side effects.

Some, but not all, women report some of these side effects:

• nausea and throwing up (If you vomit within two hours after taking the pill, another consultation may be needed to discuss whether repeated dose is required.)
• breast tenderness
• irregular bleeding
• dizziness
• headaches

Nausea can sometimes be reduced by taking the medication on a full stomach or taking anti-nausea medication an hour beforehand.

Emergency contraception is made of one of the hormones found in birth control pills—progestin. This hormone works by preventing ovulation, or ovaries from releasing eggs. Pregnancy cannot happen if there is no egg to join with sperm.

The hormone in the morning-after pill also prevents pregnancy by thickening a woman’s cervical mucus. The mucus blocks sperm and keeps it from joining with an egg.

The hormone also thins the lining of the uterus. In theory, this could prevent pregnancy by keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.

Emergency contraception should not be used as your primary method of birth control. It is, as the name implies, for emergencies. Do not use emergency contraception as a form of ongoing birth control – the morning-after pill doesn’t offer lasting protection from pregnancy. If you have unprotected sex in the days and weeks after taking the morning-after pill, you’re at risk of becoming pregnant.

If you use the morning-after pill frequently, it may cause your menses to be irregular.

Other forms of birth control are a lot more effective and less stressful to the body. For more information, please visit our page on contraception.