You’re sexually active, but you don’t want to become a parent soon, again, or ever. What’s the key to managing your family planning desires and preventing an unintended pregnancy? Using a birth control method that matches your needs and suits your lifestyle.
Just as no single form of birth control is right for everyone, the contraceptive choice that’s best for you can also change throughout your reproductive life.
Fortunately, there’s a full scope of contraceptives available — and our New Beginnings OB/GYN team can help you make sense of your options. Read on as Dr. Christina Parmar and Dr. Rania Ibrahim explore five areas of consideration that can guide you to the best form of birth control for you.
Outside of abstinence, fertility awareness-based methods (FABM) of family planning, and a partner’s vasectomy, there are nearly 20 distinct types of birth control. Based on how it works, each method fits into one of five general categories of contraception:
Birth control works to prevent pregnancy by stopping ovulation, keeping sperm out of the uterus, killing sperm, or through a combination of these techniques.
For example, an intrauterine device (IUD) that releases progestin — which is both a hormonal form of birth control and a LARC — dramatically reduces the odds of an unplanned pregnancy by stopping ovulation and blocking sperm from entering the uterus.
Birth control exists on a “needs-based spectrum.” Three types (hormonal, LARC, and barrier methods) meet typical, everyday pregnancy prevention needs, while two types (emergency and permanent methods) exist to meet situational contraceptive needs.
Emergency contraception (the morning-after pill, copper IUD) is an as-needed pregnancy prevention method that prevents the fertilization of an egg after unprotected sex or failed contraception (i.e., broken condom). Permanent birth control (tubal ligation) is the go-to method for pre-menopausal women who want to prevent pregnancy indefinitely.
For most women, the contraceptive that best matches their needs comes from one of the three “everyday pregnancy prevention” categories: hormonal, LARC, or barrier birth control. Factors to consider when deciding on a contraceptive method include:
If you want to get pregnant shortly, you might opt for a short-acting hormonal contraceptive like the pill or mini pill or a barrier method like condoms with spermicide. If pregnancy isn’t in your plans anytime soon, a long-acting method, like an IUD or a birth control implant, can prevent pregnancy for five to 10 years (and be removed anytime).
Your health history can affect your birth control choice; combined hormonal methods that contain estrogen and progestin — including the pill, the transdermal contraceptive patch, and the vaginal ring — may not be safe if you have high blood pressure or you’re a smoker.
However, progestin-only methods — including the mini-pill, the shot, the birth control implant, and progestin-releasing IUDs — are usually safe for women who can’t take estrogen.
Possibly one of the most important aspects of finding the right contraceptive is your level of comfort using the method: Are you confident that you’ll be able to remember to take a pill at the same time every day? Are you comfortable putting a condom on your partner? Would you remember to change your vaginal ring on the same day every month?
If you want a super-convenient “set-it-and-forget-it” birth control method that works for years at a time, LARC is the right choice. But if you aren’t comfortable having a device implanted in your uterus (IUD) or upper arm (implant), a shorter-acting method — like the patch (one week), the ring (one month), or the shot (three months) — might be a better choice.
Most forms of contraception are very effective at preventing pregnancy when used as directed. However, some methods — like IUDs, implants, and the birth control shot — are exceptionally reliable (96-99% effective), while others — like a diaphragm, cervical sponge, cervical cap, or condom — are less reliable (79-87% effective).
Understanding the contraception rate of efficacy, including what actions (or inactions) make it decline for a given method, is an important part of choosing birth control.
Only one form of contraception offers protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and that is the male condom. Other barrier methods, including female condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, contraceptive sponges, and spermicidal foams, prevent pregnancy by keeping sperm out of your uterus — but they don’t stop STD transmission.
If STD protection is part of your contraception plan, we recommend using condoms along with your primary method of choice, whether it’s the pill, an IUD, or something else.
Ready to learn all about your contraceptive options? We can help. Call or click online to schedule a visit at New Beginnings OB/GYN in Shenandoah, Texas, today.