Promotion of family planning and prevention of unintended (mistimed or unintended) pregnancy through guaranteed access to preferred contraceptive methods for women and couples assures the well-being and autonomy of women in particular and of families, communities, and society in general. Although the production, promotion, and marketing of the more effective methods of contraception have traditionally taken the spotlight in contraception and family planning, it is undoubtedly interesting that especially young women have started to demonstrate an increasing interest in natural methods of contraception as well as a general “rejection” (or at least lack of interest) on invasive or hormonal methods (hormonophobia). At least in the USA, the trend is an increasing one (from 1.1% to 2.2%) with now almost 1.4 million women in 2014 (and an estimated projection of 2.5 million women in 2020) in this category (Kavanaugh and Jerman, Contraception 97:14–21, 2018). Modern methods of contraception are in general highly effective (Mansour et al., Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 15:4–16, 2010; Amy and Thiery, Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 20:387–402, 2015). They include female and male sterilization, oral hormonal pills, the implant and similar devices, injectables, emergency contraception, intrauterine devices (IUD), progesterone-based IUDs, and barrier methods (male and female condoms and cervical cap). Traditional or natural methods of contraception, less effective in general, include rhythm (periodic abstinence), withdrawal and lactational amenorrhea, abstinence, breastfeeding, douching, or folk methods. This chapter will discuss methods that are not hormone-based and that are included in the barrier/spermicide or natural/traditional categories. A section of useful links to pictures, ready-to-use electronically printed materials, and counseling information is provided at the end of the chapter (Appendix 6.1). As its name implies, non-hormonal contraception category of contraceptive methods groups all those methods of contraception that do not rely on any hormonal compounds or hormonal molecules associated with the method to produce their contraceptive effect. However, this definition includes methods such as surgical sterilization and some intrauterine devices that will be covered elsewhere in this book. This chapter will include natural/traditional methods, barrier methods, and spermicides.
