When things start getting a bit tight or we are in a survival situation the last thing we want to worry about is having a baby. The cost and work involved could be the difference between life and death. No medical staff available, loss of valuable resources and additional nutritional requirements makes reproduction an expensive business.
Most of us want to have a few things sorted before we have kids, we want to have a stable relationship, we want to be financially secure and we want to be ready for them. In most cases though we are lucky if we have the first criteria. Very few people have financial security in this day and age and as for being ready, as soon as kids appear all plans are out of the window.
Yet, most of us don’t really think about this. How many unwanted babies are brought into this world today merely to get extra money from the state? Knowing that the state will not allow kids to starve or be homeless people actually make a career choice for having children. In a survival situation that is one career that will disappear, the same as many IT jobs and muslim outreach workers.
Later, when things settle down and you are more in control, either your situation has changed and you do not need to tighten your belt or you have your survival situation under control and are looking at repopulating the earth with your genes you may start to consider having children.
However, in the meantime you need to take precautions.
Options available currently;
| Option | Effective | Use |
| The Implant (Implanon) | 99.9% | Lasts for three years. |
| Vasectomy | 99.9% | Permanent. |
| IUS (Mirena) | 99.8% | Lasts for five years. |
| Female Sterilisation | 99.5% | Permanent. |
| IUD (Coil) | 99.2% | Lasts for 10 years. |
| The Contraceptive Injection (Depo-Provera) | 97% | Lasts for three months. |
| Vaginal Ring (NuvaRing) | 92% | Lasts for three weeks. |
| The Contraceptive Patch (Evra) | 92% | Lasts for one week. |
| Progestogen-only Pill (Mini Pill) | 92% | A course lasts one month. |
| Combined Birth Control Pill (The Pill) | 92% | A course lasts one month. |
| Male Condom | 85% | Once only use. |
| Diaphragm | 84% | Long term. Needs spermicides. |
| Female Condom | 79% | Once only use. |
| Withdrawal | 73% | Every single time. |
| Spermicides | 71% | Once only use. |
People sterilised or with devices fitted will be as safe as they would have been before. At least as long as the protection lasts and you can continue taking your contraceptive. Once you have exhausted your supplies then you will be back to chance.
So you need to be totally aware of when your contraception is due for renewal. Having an implant may be fine for now but if it is going to run out in a year then you need to have alternatives on standby.
Most contraception has to be prescribed or activated by a doctor and so will only be available while a doctor is available or your prescribed stock lasts. For a survival situation it looks like, outside sterilisation, the only real method is going to be condoms. Spermacides can be bought and stored but are not as effective and who knows what will happen under less than perfect storage regimes.
Now in the olden days before we had the pill and its many offshoots they had animal gut condoms, inserting metal coils and spermicides. Undoubtedly there were more drastic methods but we will not go there.
Bottom line, Stock up on what method you use and try and keep a good supply available. Additionally, add condoms and Spermicides to your shopping list and get them in bulk from your local family planning centre. After all you don’t want to take any risks do you? Store them well.
Good luck and don’t forget to keep the human race going.
What about death from childbirth without modern medicine? This is terrifying and not just a strain on resources/inconvenience.
Whilst some of the methods look good, there are complications; removing an IUD from the womb after a few years is not for the faint hearted, the strings can retract, and the IUD even become implanted in the lining of the uterus and require surgery to remove!
Have a store of condoms, but they have a use by date… so also read about Billing’s Method and ‘Natural Family Planning’. Apparently honey & lemon juice can be spermicidal? These aren’t perfect methods, but will help once your condoms have run out. Family planning is a REALLY important topic, getting your partner pregnant will be risking her life, as well as straining resources, (unless you’re single or fine with total abstinence) it needs a lot of consideration.
Ronnie,
Welcome and thanks for the comment.
It is a big risk and it is inevitable that deaths among women and children will rise without modern medical help. It is unfortunate but we can only do what we can do. That is why I try and emphasis experience in medical issues. Doctors, nurses, paramedics will be a very valuable addition to any group and can improve the chances of anyone requiring minor surgery immeasurably.
As far as contraceptives go I’m only looking at covering the critical period over the first few years when you are fighting for survival, getting pregnant then is potentially a death sentence. Beyond the initial few years we are going to be looking at the older methods of contraception and is intended to be the subject of another article. Feel like writing one?