Dr. Tabatha Barber explains how barrier methods like diaphragms work and why she trusts them. You insert it before sex with spermicide and leave it in for 4 to 6 hours after. She's used one since age 18 and says it works well if you use it correctly.
So barrier methods are what is preventing the sperm from getting to the egg. Typically, that's condoms, cervical caps, sponges, spermicides, and IUDs and diaphragms. So one of my favorite barrier methods is a diaphragm. Believe it or not, I was actually given a diaphragm when I was 18 years old. After I had my baby in 11th grade, my doctor gave me a diaphragm and said, good luck. Somehow, by the grace of God, I didn't get pregnant again. Honestly, I think the diaphragm works really well. It's a barrier method. It prevents the sperm from getting to the egg. You do need to use it with a spermicide for maximum effectiveness. It takes the spontaneity out of things because you got to know you're going to be intimate, right? So you have to have time to go put it in and then you have to leave it in for like four to six hours afterward. But say you're having sex at night, you can just leave it in, go to sleep, and take it out in the morning.
