Last Updated on October 9, 2024
It has been common knowledge for almost everyone, if not all, that clothes, food, make-up, and other common products are made from animals. What’s more horrible is the fact that even the medicines and even the birth control methods we are using are also made from animals. However, it is good to know that, nowadays, there are already a lot of vegan birth control methods that could be utilized for people who want to go green and stick with vegan values. If you want to go green or vegan when it comes to birth control, then you have come to the right page. Let us get to know more about the vegan approach on birth control
Table of Contents
Birth Control and Its Importance
Birth control is any method, either with the natural approach or through the ingestion of contraceptive medicine or the use of barrier methods, that hinders conception. Around 200 million women around the globe are don’t have the privilege to access family planning tools as stated by the Guttmacher Institute. This, therefore, resulted in 52 million unplanned and unintended pregnancies every year, and the cases continue to surge up. This is alarming as the maternal and neonatal death also rises. Thus, the need for birth control methods should be emphasized and prioritized and not neglected.
Birth Control Methods
If you want to utilize the vegan method when it comes to controlling method, then you now easily do so. Here are some of the vegan birth control methods that you could use.
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Hormonal Birth Control
Almost certainly, pills are the most preferred, convenient, and widespread method of birth control. Pills, either progestin-only or combination, have a cow’s milk derivative in the form of lactose. Plus, some even contain magnesium stearate that is usually taken from chicken, beef, pork, fish, milk, and butter – not vegan-friendly.
Optional options like the patch and Nuva Ring uses artificial estrogen and progesterone. It is quite hard to pinpoint how these synthetic hormones came. However, the National Center for Biotechnology Information has confirmed that progestin comes from cholesterol – definitely not vegan-friendly especially if the source comes from animals.
Even if these hormonal birth control products were free from animals, the fact that all of these prescription drugs in the US were tested on animals makes vegans rule out this method. if you
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IUD
There are a lot of intrauterine devices available in the market, and they have a more than 99% success rate in preventing conception. If you want to utilize this method, then you have to avoid hormonal IUDs that contain artificial progestin which may be derived from animal products. However, there is another type of IUD in the form of copper IUD that you could use as this is certified vegan-friendly. The catch in these IUDs is that they are both tried on animals, like other oral contraceptive prescriptions.
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Barrier Methods
Vegans get to enjoy this birth control method because it offers a lot of variety that they could choose. However, a meticulous and painstaking review should be done to make sure that your chosen method does not have any animal products in it. These are the common barrier contraceptive options that you could take into careful consideration.
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- Condoms
Most condoms are made of latex that contains casein, which is roughly 80% of the protein found in Cow’s milk. If you are looking for a vegan-friendly condom, then try to check if these are made from natural rubber latex. Some of these brands like Kimono, Sir Richard’s, Lovability, and Glyde uses ethically sourced rubber, thus vegan-friendly. The effectiveness of vegan condoms works the same as the traditional ones. However, the price for this special-made condom is quite a bit high than the traditional ones.
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- Cervical Cap
The cervical cap is a hormone-free, latex-free, and reusable object that is used to cover the cervix to prevent the entry of sperm. To improve the efficacy of this barrier method while still being intact with the vegan approach, you can utilize a vegan spermicide to coat the cap then insert the cap before sexual stimulation. This is a great option for women to keep their natural hormones and doesn’t like anything to do with latex products.
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- Diaphragm
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped product that is usually placed inside your body before contact. The cap should be left inside at least 6 hours, even after the intercourse. This option is like the female version of condoms that are mostly made of latex. However, there are a lot of vegan-friendly choices out in the market. To make it all the more effective, coat it with a vegan spermicide.
A good fact to know is that condoms have a 98% efficacy rate to prevent pregnancy; that is if it is used properly and correctly. Diaphragms with the corresponding spermicide take the next lead as they could help prevent around 92-96% of unwanted pregnancies. The cervical cap only has 71 to 86% efficacy rate even with the use of spermicide.
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Other Ways of Birth Control
If you are not quite satisfied with the previous options, well, no need to worry, as there are still other alternatives that you could use. These are:
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Natural Contraception/Natural Family Planning
This method of contraception doesn’t involve any device or medicine. This is where a woman keeps track of her monthly cycle, patterns, and fertility signals. With this method, the woman becomes more aware of her fertility period. Once she is in that phase, she and her husband should avoid sexual contact if they don’t want to conceive. This is probably the most vegan-friendly method of contraception as it doesn’t utilize any product and no tests on animals were done. This natural way of family planning has a 75% efficacy rate, meaning 25 out of 100 women could become pregnant with this method if not done precisely.
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Permanent Sterilization
Permanent sterilization is the answer for men or women who don’t want to conceive ever again. Tubal ligation is done to women who don’t want to get pregnant. For males, a surgery called vasectomy could be done where the tubes that used to carry the sperm cells are cut or sealed completely. So, if you really don’t want to conceive in the future, then this method could be the best one for you.
We’ve come to the end of our article. We hope that this has helped you come up with the decision of the best vegan option to use for birth control. The ultimate decision still lies with you. It is best to talk with your partner, first, regarding any birth control plan. For you and your partner’s safety, you should ask a consult from a licensed practitioner that could help you discuss the best vegan birth control option out there.
Lacey is an environmental enthusiast and passionate advocate for living green and sustainable. She believes that everyone can make a difference, no matter how small. Lacey is dedicated to reducing her own carbon footprint and educating others on the importance of living greener. She is an advocate for green energy and sustainable practices. She is an active member of her local community, volunteering with local conservation efforts, and taking part in sustainability initiatives. Lacey is a firm believer that the only way to ensure a sustainable future is to work together and make small, but important changes.