Questions you may be searching for
If any of these brought you here, you are in the right place.
- which contraceptive is safe
- copper-T insertion
- copper-T side effects
- birth control pills
- contraception while breastfeeding
- gap between two children
- emergency pill within 72 hours
- injection for contraception
- tubectomy after delivery
- missed a pill, what to do
See a doctor soon
On the combined pill, severe pain or swelling in one leg, chest pain, sudden breathlessness, a severe headache with vision changes, or weakness on one side means stop the pill and seek care the same day. With an IUD, a late period, severe lower tummy pain, or threads you can no longer feel needs a check within a day or two.
What contraception and family planning covers
Family planning is deciding when to have children and how far apart, and choosing a method that makes that decision hold. Condoms stop sperm reaching the egg and also protect against infections. Hormonal methods (combined pills, progesterone-only pills, the injection, the hormonal IUD) stop ovulation or thicken the mucus at the cervix. The copper-T sits inside the uterus and stops sperm, with no hormones.
Methods that do not depend on memory (the copper-T, hormonal IUD, injection and sterilisation) have the fewest unplanned pregnancies.
Spacing protects mothers and babies. A gap of at least two years between one birth and the next pregnancy lowers the risk of anaemia, prematurity and low birth weight. It is discussed during pregnancy care in Chennai visits, before delivery.
When you should see a doctor
Book a family planning visit when:
- You have just had a baby and want to plan the gap, ideally before the six-week check, because ovulation can return before your first period.
- You want a copper-T or hormonal IUD inserted, checked or removed.
- Your family is complete and you want to discuss tubectomy or vasectomy.
- You had unprotected intercourse, or a condom failed, in the last 72 hours.
Couples are welcome to come together. If a pregnancy is unplanned, the clinic can advise you on the options available under the law.
How the method is chosen at RV Clinic
There is no single right method, so the visit is a conversation first. Dr. Ragavi asks about your age, periods, deliveries, breastfeeding, plans, previous methods and why they stopped, and your health: blood pressure, migraine, diabetes, clots, liver disease, smoking.
Blood pressure and weight are checked. A pelvic examination is done before an IUD, in the separate examination room with the lady attender present. A scan is not routine; it is used after insertion if the threads are not seen or there is pain.
The two or three methods that suit you are then laid out side by side, with side effects and failure figures in plain numbers.
A note on scans
Sex determination of the foetus is not done at RV Clinic, and no scan report here will state it. It is a punishable offence under the PCPNDT Act, 1994.
Methods offered at RV Clinic
Combined pills
Oestrogen and progesterone, one tablet daily for 21 or 24 days, then a break. Taken every day, they also give lighter, less painful periods and treat PCOD (see PCOD and PCOS treatment in Chennai). Not for women over 35 who smoke, or with high blood pressure, migraine with aura or a past clot.
Progesterone-only pills
One tablet at the same time every day, no break. Safe while breastfeeding and for women who cannot take oestrogen. Periods may become irregular or stop; that is expected.
Injectable contraception
A progesterone injection (DMPA) every three months at the clinic. Safe in breastfeeding; periods often stop. Fertility can take six months to a year to return after the last dose.
Copper-T
Placed in the uterus at the clinic in a five-minute procedure, usually during a period, within 48 hours of delivery, or from six weeks after. It lasts five or ten years by type, has no hormones, and fertility returns the month it is removed. Periods may be heavier for a few months.
Hormonal IUD
A similar device releasing a little progesterone locally, inserted at the clinic and lasting around five years. Periods become much lighter or stop.
Condoms
The only method that also prevents sexually transmitted infections. Roughly one in eight couples relying on condoms alone has a pregnancy within a year.
Emergency contraception
A single levonorgestrel tablet within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, the sooner the better. It delays ovulation; it does not end a pregnancy that has begun.
Natural methods
Safe-period calculation, withdrawal and breastfeeding fail often, because ovulation shifts and sperm survive up to five days. Breastfeeding protects only while the baby is under six months, fully breastfed, and periods have not returned.
Sterilisation
Tubectomy blocks or removes the fallopian tubes and is permanent. Dr. Ragavi performs it at the affiliated hospital by keyhole surgery (see laparoscopic gynaecological surgery in Chennai), at a caesarean, or in the first week after a normal delivery. Vasectomy for the husband is simpler and worth discussing; the clinic can guide you to where it is done.
Where treatment happens
Consultation, pills, injections, and IUD insertion and removal happen at RV Clinic Madipakkam or RV Clinic Thalambur, whichever is closer to you. Tubectomy is done by Dr. Ragavi herself at Unittas Multispeciality Hospital, which is 21 km from the Madipakkam clinic and 5 km from the Thalambur clinic. RV Clinic is an outpatient clinic. No operation is done at either clinic address.
What to expect at your appointment
- Call or WhatsApp. If you want a copper-T or hormonal IUD, say so, so the visit can be timed with your period.
- History, blood pressure and weight, and questions about your plans and health. Your husband is welcome to sit in.
- If you choose an IUD, it is inserted the same visit or at your next period, with the lady attender present. It takes about five minutes and feels like a strong cramp.
- You leave knowing how to use the method and when to review (six weeks after an IUD).
Frequently asked questions
Delivery-ku appuram copper-T podalama? Eppo podalam?
Yes. A copper-T can be placed within 48 hours of delivery (often at a caesarean) or from six weeks after, once the uterus has returned to size. Many women choose it at the six-week check.
Feeding kudukkumbodhu tablet edukkalama?
The progesterone-only pill, the injection, the copper-T and the hormonal IUD are all safe while breastfeeding and do not reduce milk. Combined pills are avoided in the first six months.
How soon after delivery can I get pregnant again?
Ovulation can return within weeks in a mother who is not breastfeeding, often before the first period. Contraception starts from three weeks after delivery unless you are exclusively breastfeeding.
Is the copper-T painful, and does it cause infection?
Insertion feels like a strong cramp for a minute, and mild cramps can follow for a day or two. It does not cause infection; the small risk is in the first three weeks after insertion.
I missed a pill. What should I do?
One missed combined pill: take it as soon as you remember and carry on. Two or more: take the last missed one, use condoms for seven days, and ask about emergency contraception if you had intercourse recently.
Can tubectomy be reversed later?
Sometimes, but reversal is a major operation and a pregnancy afterwards is not assured. Treat it as permanent.
Book a consultation
Call or WhatsApp RV Clinic for a family planning visit, alone or as a couple. If you need the emergency pill, say so when you message; it works better the sooner it is taken.