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We’ll just take you through a quick refresher of the parts of men’s and women’s bodies that are involved in sex and reproduction. This will help you to understand how the different methods of contraception work.

Right at the very front of the body there is pubic hair. Then, close to the front of the body you can see a spot. This represents a little bump with a hood of skin over it. It is about the size of a pea, and is called the clitoris. The clitoris is very sensitive. It plays a major part in the wonderful sensations that lead up to orgasm.

A bit behind the clitoris is a small opening to the urethra. The urethra is the passage which carries urine, or ‘wee’ as some people call it, from the bladder. Urine comes out of here when you go to the toilet.

The next opening behind that is the vagina. It is a larger opening with a strong muscle around it, and it can also stretch a lot. You can insert a tampon here, and the muscle around the opening keeps the tampon inside. It stretches to allow a penis to enter during sex, and it can even stretch wide enough to allow a baby’s head to pass through during childbirth.

Covering the clitoris and the openings to the urethra and the vagina are flaps of skin or vaginal lips. They are called labia. There are two labia majora, the outside ones, and two labia minora, the inside ones. The labia majora have quite thick skin and are covered with pubic hair. They protect the more delicate skin of the labia minora and the parts we have just talked about which are called the genitals.

Closest to the back of the body is a third opening called the anus. Faeces, ‘poo’ or waste from the bowel comes out here when you go to the toilet.

Because we will be talking about how contraception works in your body, we’ll look at the internal reproductive parts that you really need to know about. They are the vagina, the cervix, the uterus, the Fallopian tubes and the ovaries.

The vagina is a passage that leads to the uterus, or womb. It is usually between 6 cm and 10 cm long. When there is nothing inside it, the sides move together so that it looks like there is no space inside and it is closed. The vaginal walls are loose and have folds. They can stretch easily too.

At the far end of the vagina is the cervix. The cervix is actually the lower part of the uterus. It is made of thick pink muscle that feels a bit like the tip of your nose. You can feel it if you put your finger right up inside your vagina. If you want to feel for it, it’s best to lean forward and have one foot up on a chair, or lie on your back with your knees bent up. You will need to slant your finger towards the small of your back to find it.

In the centre of the cervix is a very small opening called the os, which leads to the cervical canal that goes through to the space inside the uterus. During childbirth the cervix gets thinner and opens up to allow the baby to pass through. Our bodies are amazing!

The uterus is shaped like an upside-down pear. It is normally about 6 cm long and 3 cm wide. It is made of very strong muscle that can not only stretch to accommodate a growing baby, but can also contract so strongly during childbirth that it pushes the baby out.

The walls of the uterus are quite thick. On either side, close to the top, there is a Fallopian tube. The Fallopian tubes are long and very thin. They are hollow, and they join on to the uterus at one end and hover over the ovaries at the other. The ends closest to the ovaries flare out like trumpets, and have tiny finger-like structures called fimbria.

There is an ovary on each side of the uterus. They are joined to the uterus by strong bands of tissue that anchor them in place. Each ovary is about the size of an olive and contains thousands of tiny egg follicles with the potential to produce mature eggs. All these follicles were present when the woman was born.

Girls usually go through puberty some time from about 11 to 15 years old. At puberty hormonal changes occur in a girl’s body so that the eggs, or ova, start to mature and the ovaries release them as they mature, at the rate of about one a month. This is called ovulation. Girls start having periods at this time. A woman usually continues to ovulate about once a month, unless she is pregnant or using hormonal contraception, until she is about 50 years old. During the years that a woman is ovulating, about 300 to 500 eggs are released.

At ovulation, the egg bursts out of the ovary and is funnelled into a Fallopian tube, where it lives for about 24 hours as it travels down towards the uterus. If the woman has sex at this time and the egg meets a sperm and is fertilized, it takes about ten days to travel down the tube and implant in the lining of the uterus. If the egg does not meet a sperm and become fertilized within 24 hours, it will still travel down the tube and will be absorbed by the uterus, or will pass out of her uterus and vagina with the menstrual blood when she has her next period.

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Resetting Your Body Clock. Do you have a sleep deficit? Do you owe your body hours of long, deep, relaxing sleep which you cannot provide? If you do, it may be because your internal body clock is out of sync with the world around you and needs to be reset.

At least one-third of people who complain about insomnia have an underlying problem with their body clock. These people can often be described as either owls or larks. Owls are night people. They perk up in the evening, feel quite alert for the next few hours and go to bed around midnight. Frequently they don’t fall asleep for an hour but then they sleep well. The problem is they have to rise at six or seven, before they’ve had enough sleep. So they feel jet-lagged and not fully functional until the late morning.

In contrast, larks droop after dinner. They struggle to stay awake and often can’t last past ten o’clock. But then they sleep soundly until about 4 a.m. when they begin waking. Once awake, they can’t go back to sleep.

Over time, both types feel sleep-deprived. They feel like they are falling off the perch during the day and eventually may start thinking about sleeping pills. If they were allowed to follow their own natural patterns they would not have a sleep deficit. Larks wouldn’t feel the social pressure to stay up late,- and owls, not having to rise and meet early obligations, could sleep deep into the morning. But because they have to conform to social patterns, they basically have three options: they may do nothing; they may take sleeping pills (which have a range of attendant problems); or they may try to readjust their body clocks.

Most men would not admit to having ongoing sleep difficulties. They would rather tough it out and let the conventional wisdom – that they are really a woman’s problem — prevail. But laboratory studies have shown they affect both genders almost equally and that, over the age of fifty, men’s sleep patterns are in fact worse. Their sleep is more disrupted and not as deep. When people were asked generally if they had a problem with sleep, far more women than men answered yes. When asked specifically about the night before, however, this difference disappeared.

Owls tend to have a delayed cycle. Instead of entering their highest temperature zone at about 6 p.m., they enter around 10 p.m., just at the time they probably think they ought to prepare for bed. But sleep is only possible two or three hours later. Because they are late falling asleep, they reach their period of maximum sleepiness at about 7 or 8 a.m., just as they’re trying to get going for the day.

The larks, on the other hand, have advanced cycles. They are coldest and therefore most sleepy at about 1 a.m. By 5 a.m. their temperature is rising and they are bright-eyed and ready to rise, too.

Although we all carry internal clocks, we depend on cues like sunlight to keep these clocks on track. These clocks can be tricked by altering a person’s exposure to light. Bright-light therapy is one form of treatment which is simple, noninvasive and can even be quite pleasant. Patients are seated in front of a specially built lightbox where they cannot escape the sensation of light but can watch television or read.

Owls have a treatment in the early morning, just at the time when they are most sleepy and their bodies believe it’s still dark. You can tell if owls are about in the early morning because they always try to shield themselves from light. They drive to work wearing dark glasses or bury themselves in newspapers on trains,- anything to tone down the light.

Depending on their nature, they may be exposed to ninety minutes of strong, bright light at 9 a.m. Then, on each subsequent morning, the exposure period begins progressively earlier until, eventually, the desired wake-up time is reached. This has the effect of altering the whole cycle and the owls will feel sleepy earlier in the night. If they respond to this feeling and go to bed, they will get adequate sleep.

Owls can treat themselves by exposing themselves to bright, early morning sunlight. They can take a walk (no sunglasses) and over time make the walk earlier and earlier.

Larks are treated in the evening by being exposed to long periods of bright light which eventually fools their body into thinking it’s still daytime. This has the effect of making them go to bed later and therefore wake up later.

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People tell us they want to make their own choices about the contraception they use. They want information about the different methods available and time to think about which one they would prefer—one that suits their lifestyle now.

When you choose a method of contraception there are lots of things to consider. People are more likely to use something if they feel comfortable and confident about it So take your time to read and think about which methods might suit you. The next step may be to go to your doctor or Family Planning Centre to talk about the different methods a bit more before you decide. It’s also good to have a health check to make sure you can use the contraceptive method you choose. You will certainly need a check up if you want to take the Pill or use another method that involves using hormones.

It is very important that you feel happy with the method you choose. If you are not happy about using it, your anxiety or discomfort could make you feel tense about sex, which could make you even unhappier. It could also affect your relationship with your sexual partner.

If you are anxious or uncomfortable about using a particular contraceptive method it’s worth asking yourself why you feel that way. Perhaps it is not acceptable in your culture for you to touch your vagina to insert a diaphragm, or perhaps you don’t like the idea of using something like the Pill because it affects your whole system. When you know the reason you can decide whether you want to do something about it, or just look for another method that you feel happier using.

You will need to find out whether you can get the method you’re interested in easily. For example, if you don’t live in the city, you’ll need to find a doctor in your area who is trained to insert IUDs or implants. If you want to have a tubal ligation it may be necessary to have time away from family or work commitments.

You need to be able to afford the method you would like to use. For example, you may want to choose an IUD, but even though over time this works out to be a fairly inexpensive method, the cost can be quite high when you first pay for it.

Other things that may influence your choice are your age, and how you feel a particular method may affect you or the possibility of you having children in the future. The method you choose could also depend on how effective you need the method to be and whether an unexpected pregnancy would be a real problem to you at the moment.

You will probably find that you use different methods as things in your life change. There may be a time when you want a method that will be easy to keep private. Sometimes it could be worth using a method that protects you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well, particularly if you have a new partner, or you have sex with more than one person, or your partner has sex with more than one person. If you are breastfeeding you should consider using a method that would not have any effect on your milk supply.

If you use drugs or alcohol regularly you may need to choose a method that you don’t have to remember to use just before you have sex. If you have a physical disability, think about whether you have sufficient movement in your hands to use a particular method, for example, a cervical cap. You may need to have regular check ups to make sure you can still use a method if you have a progressive disease. Your choice of contraception could also be affected if you have any loss of sexual sensation. Talk to your doctor to make sure the method you choose will not make any difficulties you may have worse. If you have an intellectual disability, make sure that you know all about the method, and that you feel it is easy to use.

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The hymen. This is a thin, circular band of skin which sits across the vagina, close to its opening. It has an opening in it, so vaginal discharge and menstrual blood can pass through it.

When the vaginal walls are stretched apart, for example during sex, and also to some extent in using tampons, the hymenal opening is widened. The first act of sexual penetration usually stretches the hymen, and occasionally this is accompanied by a little bleeding. Historically, and still in some cultures, this bleeding at the first act of intercourse is seen as a confirmation of virginity, although it is not necessarily accurate.

When the hymen has been stretched, remnants remain, which look like little ragged skin tags inside the vaginal opening.

The labia. Labia means “lips”. The vagina is surrounded by two pairs of “lips”. The inside, smaller ones, the labia minora, are also fairly sensitive, and are made of fine skin with no hair. The outer, larger ones, the labia majora, are made of less sensitive, coarser skin, which has a layer of fatty tissue beneath it.

The clitoris. This is a fascinating little knob of tissue in front of the vagina. It is covered by a hood of skin which connects to the two inner “lips” of the labia minora. It has a ‘shaft’, and a more sensitive tip, called the “glans”.

The clitoris is a bit like a penis. It is made up of glandular tissue that, with sexual arousal, becomes firmer and bigger, like a penis. It is supplied with lots of nerve cells, and consequently is extremely sensitive. Touching and rubbing the clitoris is a pretty effective means of sexual stimulation, as distinct from touching and rubbing the vaginal skin, which has far fewer nerve fibres, and is much less sensitive.

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The female reproductive system is particularly complex. Not only is the anatomy largely hidden from view, but its function is regulated by a collection of hormones and chemical messengers we never get to see (but we often know are there).

Let’s start with where everything is and what it looks like, that is, anatomy.

The vagina. This is a tube. Not a glamorous description of it, but that’s the truth. It is a useful tube, as it serves some important functions. It connects the uterus to the outside world, so things like sperm can get in, and babies can get out. It has other useful functions to do with sex.

The vaginal walls are made of a special skin-like lining, covering muscle layers. When it is not in use, the walls of the vagina are usually touching, but when they need to, they can stretch to accommodate an erect penis, and even a full-term baby.

Like many other areas of our bodies, the vagina is inhabited by microorganisms (commonly known as bugs or germs). There are certain bugs which live happily there, lactobacilli, among others. These lactobacilli, as part of their daily work, make an acid product called lactic acid, and this acid environment helps keep in check the various other bugs which may pass by.

Vaginas arc normally moist. Women usually have some degree of “normal” vaginal discharge. This is made up of fluids from the cervix, the vaginal skin and the glands near the vagina. The discharge may be altered if there is an infection.

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