This might get easier with practice. If you haven’t yet read our section on how to use it, you might want to check that out.
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A diaphragm is a shallow, dome-shaped cup made of silicone. (Honestly, it looks like Meg Griffin’s hat on The Family Guy. Except it’s only a few inches in diameter.) You insert the diaphragm into your vagina. Then it covers your cervix and keeps sperm out of your uterus. One super important thing to remember: For a diaphragm to work effectively, you need to use it with spermicide.
view all methods »If you’re not okay with putting your fingers inside yourself, a diaphragm probably isn’t for you. It’s a little like putting in a tampon, though: If you can do that, you can probably manage a diaphragm.
You’ve got to remember to insert your diaphragm 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.
There are two kinds of diaphragm, Caya (a.k.a. SILCS) and Milex, currently available on the U.S. market. If you want to get one, it may be a good idea to call in advance to make sure your provider or pharmacy has diaphragms in stock.
If you’re allergic to silicone or spermicide, you shouldn’t use a diaphragm.
You’ll be able to get pregnant as soon as you stop using the diaphragm. So protect yourself with another method right away.
Don’t take our word for it. Check out the videos above to hear people talk about their experiences with the diaphragm.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, if you have health insurance, chances are good that you’ll be able to get this method with no out-of-pocket cost. BTW, the open enrollment period for 2017 is over, but you may still be able to get health coverage. Find out if you could be eligible for special enrollment.
With proper care—and if you don’t gain or lose a lot of weight—you can keep your diaphragm for up to ten years, making it a great birth control value for your buck at the equivalent of 42 cents to $2.08 a month (plus the cost of spermicide).
Without insurance: Depending on your income, you may be able to go to a low-cost clinic to get the diaphragm at reduced cost.
At full price, the diaphragm can cost as much as $90; some clinics may charge extra for a fitting fee. To see how this translates over a year, here’s what it would cost to pay for a diaphragm month-to-month at full price:
Cost per month over one year: $0 - $7.50
Cost per month over two years: $0 - $3.75
Payment assistance: Check with your local family planning clinics and find out if they offer free or low cost birth control (most do).
A diaphragm can be inserted just before sex, but it can also go in hours before you get to it so that it doesn’t get in the way of the moment. But no matter when it goes in, you have to be sure to leave it in for at least six hours after you have sex. If you’re going to have sex again that day, just leave the diaphragm in place and insert more spermicide way up in your vagina. Just don’t leave your diaphragm in for more than 24 hours.
Add about a teaspoon of spermicide to the inner part of the diaphragm, and spread a little of it around the rim, as well. (Not too much, or it’ll be too slippery to hang on to.) Options Gynol II is specifically designed for diaphragms, and comes with an applicator you can use if you’re going to have sex more than once within six hours (you’ll need to add additional spermicide). Any kind of contraceptive gel or spermicide will do, however, except for the film or insert/suppository types. Don’t forget to check the expiration date.
Inserting a diaphragm may sound difficult, but with a bit of practice, it’s not so tough.
Here’s the deal:
You need to leave the diaphragm in for six hours after sex. If you have sex a second time within those six hours, first insert more spermicide. (Ortho Gynol II comes with an applicator that measures how much you’ll need, and gets it where it needs to go.) Then the six-hour clock starts again, counting from the last time you have sex.
Of course, what goes in must come out. Here’s how:
Still having trouble? Ask your doctor about getting an inserter, or consider switching to another method.
Finally, take good care of your diaphragm and it can last up for several years.
There are positive and negative things to say about each and every method. And everyone’s different—so what you experience may not be the same as what your friend experiences.
We’re here to get this method working better for you. And if it still doesn’t feel right, we’ve got ideas for other methods. Just remember: If you change methods, make sure you’re protected while you switch.
This might get easier with practice. If you haven’t yet read our section on how to use it, you might want to check that out.
If practice hasn’t helped, you might want to choose a method you don’t have to insert inside you. If you really want to stick with a barrier method, check out one that you don’t have to put inside you, like male condoms.
Or check out a method you don’t have to think about every time you have sex, like the IUD, implant, patch, shot, pill, or ring.
The irritation could actually be from an allergy to spermicide. If the irritation is mild, you might try another type of spermicide.
Some women do get urinary tract infections from using the diaphragm. It might help if you pee before inserting the diaphragm and after you have sex. You might also check with your doctor to make sure your diaphragm fits correctly.
If you’re still having UTIs and want to switch methods, you might want to consider a method you don’t have to insert yourself each time you have sex. You might try the implant, patch, IUD, pill, or shot.
Whether alcohol affects your birth control really depends on what method you’re using. If you rely on birth control that requires you to use it before you have sex, like condoms or a diaphragm, then alcohol may make it harder for you to use your method correctly or to remember or to use it at all. Here’s more detail about how alcohol can affect sex and birth control.
BTW, if you’re interested a party-ready method, we’ve got you covered.
Effective immediately, can be put in hours before sex, doesn’t affect your hormones.
The diaphragm’s fairly effective—better with spermicide.
No problems for most, but irritation or urinary tract infections are possible.
Have to put it in place every time you have sex, but can leave it in for up to 24 hours.
See a health care provider to get a prescription. For the Milex diaphragm you’ll need a fitting; the Caya diaphragm is one-size-fits-all.
Anywhere from $0-$90, but it all depends. Read more about costs.
Of those women who use the diaphragm exactly as directed, about 6 in 100 will experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year they use this method.
Of those women who do not use the diaphragm exactly as directed, about 12 in 100 will experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year they use this method.