[Choice of contraception in various periods of the woman's life].

: All contraceptives must be considered not only for their effectiveness but for their side effects as well. The classical contraceptives such as the diaphragm and locally applied chemical preparations can only cause local irritations, but hormonal preparations and IUDs can have much more serious side effects. As long as the kind of complications that can result from a given contraceptive are known, the possibility of problems occurring each time a device is prescribed can be calculated. All complications considered, hormones and IUDs are not recommended. If there is a desire for more pregnancies later, discontinuance of the pill for a 3-month period after 1 year of use is recommended to allow the endometrium to regenerate. IUDs are recommended only for women who no longer wish to have children, and they are never to be used immediately after an abortion or bith. It is necessary to consider each patient individually and above all select the type of contraception that will least interfer with the successful planning of her parenthood.