College is a haven for sexual innuendos, random hook-ups and unexpected relationships. Columbia College Chicago is very adamant about promoting safe sex, actively giving out condoms in campus buildings. However, as females we not only should protect ourselves from STD’s but also unintended pregnancies.Two-thirds of unplanned pregnancies occur in college. Practicality and logic become lost in our passion and lust. Young women are narrow-minded and are often blind to the variety of contraceptive methods available. The pill tends to be complicated, especially for those with packed schedules.
Here are a few hassle-free approaches to prevent unplanned pregnancy:
Patch: Similar to a band-aid that releases certain hormones to permit your ovaries from producing eggs.
Shot: It’s a shot that contains the hormone progestin to keep ovaries from releasing eggs and it works for a full three months.
Diaphragm: An off-white latex cup that covers the cervix to prevent sperm from entering; however it must be used with spermicide.
Implant: It’s a miniature rod inserted into your underarm that gives off hormones to prevent ovaries from releasing eggs. It works for three years.
Spermicide: A combination of chemically mixed creams and gels that you rub in your vagina to keep sperm from moving.
Ring: A flexible circle inserted into your vagina that releases hormones to prevent ovaries from releasing eggs. It works for three weeks and must be changed during the fourth week.
Sponge: A tiny tube you insert into your vagina before you have sex which prevents the sperm from entering the cervix.
Female Condom: A female equivalent to the male condom that goes inside the vagina to prevent sperm from entering.
Cervical Cap: A silicone cup that covers the cervix and blocks the sperm.
Columbia students don’t always live in the loop; many live in various neighborhoods where its difficult to locate health clinics to allocate contraceptive resources.
Here are just a few of the women health centers that provide birth control and other aids:
Loop Area
Chicago Dept. Of Public Health
333 STATE ST S DEPAUL CENTER
CHICAGO, IL, 60604
(312) 747-9747
Northside
Chicago Dept. Of Public Health
845 WILSON Ave, CHICAGO, IL, 60640
(312) 744-1938
West/Northwest Side
Erie Family Health Center- Humboldt Park
2750 West North Avenue , Chicago, IL, 60647
(312) 666-3494
Southside
UIC/Mile Square Back Of Yards Clinic
4630 BISHOP ST, CHICAGO, IL, 60609
(312) 996-7006
Southwest Side
Chicago Dept. Of Public Health
3059 W. 26TH ST, CHICAGO, IL, 60623
(312) 747-0066
You can check out bedsider.org for more locations and answers to your multitude of birth control questions.