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Whoops! Birth control you can use after sex
There are lots of reasons the best laid plans for using birth control don’t work out: I completely forgot to take my pill (!)… I just didn’t have enough money to pay for the ring this month… The condom broke… We’d had some drinks and got carried away… Something like this happens to most of […]
Getting the snip: Should it be me or my partner?
Done having kids or sure you never want any? If you answer yes, you might be thinking about permanent birth control, also called sterilization . Sterilization can be done for women or men. For women, it is often called “getting your tubes tied” or “tubal ligation.” For men, it is called a vasectomy. Sterilization is […]
The Ring: It won’t get lost in there!
The vaginal contraceptive ring , aka the ring or NuvaRing, is an easy to use, safe, and effective birth control option. It’s a soft, flexible ring that you change once a month. When I discuss vaginal contraception with my patients, some are initially wary about using a vaginal birth control method and have lots of […]
All about prescription birth control
The IUD , the implant , and sterilization . To get the most effective birth control methods—an IUD, the implant, or, if you’re looking for something permanent, sterilization—you have to visit a health care provider. (BTW, we can help you find one here .) Visiting a provider might seem like a pain, but for women […]
Secret birth control: Know your privacy settings
Modern birth control methods have done wonders to give women control of their lives. You might be like me—one of contraception’s biggest fans, shouting its praises from the rooftops. But sometimes, you just want to keep your birth control on the down low. You could be worried about your little brother finding your pills and […]
The contraception learning curve
Not everybody’s doing it: about half of U.S. women younger than 20 are sexually active. But among women who are having sex, younger women are more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy. What’s the deal? First let’s look at the numbers. A new report shows that, compared to older women, sexually active women aged 15-19 […]
Is it really okay to skip periods?
A number of birth control methods hold the promise of lighter periods, fewer periods, or none at all—namely hormonal IUDs , the Depo-Provera shot , the single-rod implant , or continuous use of the pill or ring . To some of us, the idea of effective contraception and no periods sounds like menstrual nirvana. But […]
Side effects: The good, the bad, and the temporary
We’re not gonna lie—sometimes birth control has side effects, and sometimes those side effects can suck. But we can think of (at least) three reasons why this shouldn’t get you down or make you give up on protecting yourself from accidental pregnancy. 1) Different strokes for different folks Everyone’s body is unique and a method […]
Hello, birth control
This article was updated on July 18, 2014. Birth control may seem like a modern idea, but it’s actually been around for thousands of years. They say women in ancient Egypt used crocodile dung suppositories to avoid pregnancy. (Um… ew!) Condoms made of animal intestines were used in Europe as early as the 17th century. […]
Which IUD is best for you?
Here’s a secret: female doctors and family planning providers are way more likely to use IUDs themselves than U.S. women overall. Maybe it’s because they know the intrauterine device (IUD) is safe, low-maintenance, and super-effective. There are two different types of intrauterine devices (IUDs): hormonal and non-hormonal. There are currently four brands of hormonal IUDs—Mirena, […]
