Ladies, it’s October. September is over. But, SuzyKnew! wants to make sure you don’t miss a few take-aways from World Contraception Day, which was celebrated September 26 and International Safe Abortion Day, celebrated September 28. Hmm… celebrated two days later… that doesn’t look good. Evidence shows that access to contraception reduces the incidence of abortion. Access to both are necessary for quality sexual and reproductive health.

World Contraception Day is all about education and learning about the different contraceptive methods out there and which ones are right for you. The day is supported by non-governmental organizations and scientific and medical groups.

Below are a few fun facts from a supporting site.

• Most women between the ages of 15 and 44 years in the US use contraception.
• The pill remains to be a popular choice of birth control among many women, but its usage decreases as women age.
• Tubal ligation (or getting the tubes tied) is another popular form of contraception among women in the US.
• Contraceptive patches and rings are more convenient than pills as a patch and ring need to be changed weekly and monthly respectively, whereas the pill needs to be taken daily. It can be hard for a woman to remember to take the pill daily.
• Contraceptive methods such as implants and IUDs are considered to be the most effective as their failure rate is below 1 per cent.

International Safe Abortion Day started in 1990, as a day of action for decriminalization of abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean in 1990. The day aims to highlight access to legal and safe abortion as fundamental to quality sexual and reproductive health.

Safe and legal abortion is a challenge for many women around the world and could be soon a major challenge for US women.  Below is a short video about what happens to women who are unable to access safe abortion.