Cervical Cap: Basic Info
A cervical cap is a silicone cup you insert in your vagina to cover your cervix and keep sperm out of your uterus. The “cap” part of the name is pretty dead on—the thing looks like a little rubber sailor’s hat, maybe an inch and a half wide and one inch high. There’s only one brand of cervical cap available in the U.S. today, and it’s jauntily named the FemCap. One super important thing to remember: You need to use a cervical cap with spermicide for it to be most effective.
The Right Time health centers stock all methods of contraception and offer free or low-cost contraception to those who need it.
Details
You haven’t had a baby yet
Cervical caps are more effective if you haven’t given birth.
You wouldn’t mind getting pregnant
The “typical use” failure rate for the cervical cap can range from 14-29%, which is pretty high. So if getting pregnant would be disastrous for you, think about another method.
Comfortable with your body
If you’re not okay with putting your fingers inside yourself, a cervical cap probably isn’t for you. It’s a bit like putting in a tampon, though: If you can do that, you can probably manage the cap.
It takes discipline
You’ve got to remember to insert your cervical cap each and every time you have sex, so it takes a bit of self-discipline and planning. But at least you can carry it with you if you want.
You don’t have sex often
Inserting a cervical cap can take a while, so it’s not exactly ideal if you’re doing it all the time. That said, if your style is more “only on the weekends,” you can put the cap in once and leave it in place for up to 48 hours.
Allergy issues
If you’re allergic to silicone or spermicide, you shouldn’t use a cervical cap.
The pregnancy question
You’ll be able to get pregnant as soon as you stop using the cervical cap. So protect yourself with another method right away if you’re not ready to get pregnant.
Don’t take our word for it. Check out the videos above to hear people talk about their experiences with the cervical cap.
