Navigating the Different Birth Control Options
posted: Jan. 26, 2023.
Having a baby is a wonderful experience, and it’s helpful to have a baby when you’ve planned on starting a family. Birth control can help prevent pregnancy, so you can have a baby when the time is right for you. Your OBGYN doctor is an expert at birth control and can offer you several birth control options and help you choose the best birth control method.
You want your birth control method to be convenient and fit in with your lifestyle and your needs. Birth control methods available include:
Birth control pills – are convenient, portable, and effective. This method works by continuously releasing hormones to prevent pregnancy.
Contraceptive skin patches – they are easy to use and don’t require the responsibility of remembering to take a pill. This method works by releasing hormones gradually over time to prevent pregnancy.
Vaginal rings – they are easy to take with you and are inserted into your vagina. Vaginal rings release hormones when inserted, preventing pregnancy from occurring.
Birth control injections – they are administered at 3-to-6-month intervals and release hormones gradually over time to prevent pregnancy.
Birth control implants – they are small rod-like devices that release hormones to prevent pregnancy. A birth control implant is placed into your upper arm and can be effective for up to 3 years.
Intrauterine devices, commonly known as IUDs – either contain hormones or copper. The IUD is placed inside your uterus and can be effective for up to 3 to 5 years if it contains hormones, and up to 10 years if it contains copper.
Your OBGYN doctor can discuss other birth control options with you including condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, sponges, and spermicide. Condoms have the added benefit of protecting you against sexually-transmitted diseases in addition to pregnancy.
Choosing birth control is an important decision, and you want it to be the right choice. Your OBGYN doctor can help you decide. To learn more about the different birth control options and which choice is best for you, call your OBGYN doctor today.