Conducting a Literature Review Data Collection (SLP2) - Essay Example

Research Focus I have decided to focus my research on types of birth control therapies. Birth control therapies run the gamut from the physical to the hormonal to the surgical. I would like to learn more especially about the effectiveness of various methods, and perhaps do a risk-benefit analysis of the effectiveness to the possible health risks of each method. Additionally, I'd like to research the possible effects of the use of each method during an unknown pregnancy at different stages, on both the mother and the fetus.

Many types of birth control used in the past caused severe birth defects in the children born despite the preventative measures taken. Knowledge of the possible effects of these methods could help prevent future such tragedies. Planned Parenthood is a good starting point for determining what types of birth control exist and their effectiveness, though they cannot be considered an unbiased source. While their mission is to help provide women with good information, they do tend to push the usage of hormonal methods to prevent pregnancy.

The articles on their website written by physicians and other professionals can therefore be used, but carefully. A search of the PubMed Central database for "birth control" returned an extremely large number of hits, though many were unrelated to my research topic. One possible useful result is the article "New low-dose, extended-cycle pills with levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol: an evolutionary step in birth control" by Nelson, A. which is a longitudinal study of hormonal birth control pills in the last fifty years.

Many other results are similarly helpful. A final database search for "birth control" of MedCentral provided 297 free journal articles and numerous other resources on birth control types and their safety. Two such articles include one from the Journal of Midwifery on the risks of IUDs, and another from the Journal of American Board of Family Medicine on fertility awareness methods of birth control. References Kelly, E. K., & Rudinsky, S. W. (2007). Intrauterine contraception: Current evidence-based recommendations.

Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 52(5), 505-507. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from MedScape. Available from Nelson, A. (2010, August 9). New low-dose, extended-cycle pills with levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol: An evolutionary step in birth control. Journal of Women's Health, 2010(2), 99- 106. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from PubMed Central. Available from Pallone, S. R., & Bergus, G. R. (2009). Fertility awareness-based methods: Another option for family planning. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 22(2), 147-157.

Retrieved January 29, 2011, from MedScape. Available from Planned Parenthood. (2011). Birth control methods - Birth control options. Retrieved January 29, 2011. Available from