Some men are too 'big' for condoms and other contraception myths to know

“You gain a lot of weight when you're on the pill”

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This is a possible side effect but, on average, women don't put on weight while on the pill. Some women also believe that being on the pill will make their breasts bigger and while this does happen to some women (lucky lasses, eh), the increase in cup size is usually temporary and will abate.

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“Being on the pill for a long period of time will affect your fertility”

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The only kind of 'contraception' that has an impact on your fertility is sterilisation. Whether you're on the pill or using an IUD, you should be able to get pregnant once you stop taking or using it. It’s entirely possible that you have some underlying medical condition affecting your fertility, but contraception itself has no bearing on that. In fact, being on the pill has been known to decrease the chances of ovarian cysts and ovarian cancer and also help with the symptoms of endometriosis, which are all conditions that may affect your ability to conceive down the road.

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“Women who haven't had children can't use an IUD”

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Some women mistakenly believe that you can only use an IUD device if you've had kids, as you shouldn't be putting anything 'in there' otherwise. This isn't true, of course. In fact, many doctors recommend sexually active women to use IUDs, as the device is said to be 99 percent effective and requires less effort than taking the pill – once it’s in, you don't have to do anything for at least three years.

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“You go 'crazy' when you're on the pill”

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Yes, mood swings are a possible side effect – thank you, hormones! – but you're not going to transform into a totally different person overnight. And not every women experiences changes in her mood; even if you do, it's usually only for a short period of time. If you find that the extra hormones are making you feel depressed or unusually moody, see your doctor and discuss other methods of contraception (such as a copper IUD, which is hormone-free).

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“You should take a break from contraception now and then”

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The only time that you should stop contraception is when you want to get pregnant. Your body is fine with being on birth control – for years on end, if need be – so don't let anything stop you.

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“You shouldn't be skipping your periods when you're on the pill”

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While being on the pill does give you the option to take so-called 'sugar pills' for a week every month, some women choose to skip those and stay on the 'active pills' instead. There is nothing inherently right or wrong about this personal decision. It's probably safe to skip during your menstrual cycle, but do note that you could get some breakthrough bleeding, and this usually happens during the initial adjustment period.

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“The pill gets less effective the longer you're on it so you have to keep changing”

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This is absolutely not true. The efficacy of the pill doesn't decrease as the months and years go by. It's best to find the type and brand of pill that works best for you, but you can always explore other methods of contraception during different stages of your life.

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“Some men are 'too big' for condoms”

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If a man is telling you this when getting it on with you, put your clothes back on and walk out of the room – now. Condoms are extremely stretchable (they’re essentially latex balloons) so unless you’re having sex with a literal horse, size has no relevance in this situation. And if he says that he doesn't want to use a condom because going ‘raw’ is more pleasurable for him, tell him that there are several ‘second-skin’ condoms on the market these days, including those that promise to 'increase his pleasure', so stick one on already.

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This article was first published in April 2017.