People come in all shapes and sizes and have their own habits and tendencies. When it comes to choosing the right birth control method for your lifestyle, factors as unique as you are are crucial.
It’s not always easy to decide, but the ThriveOB and Women's Wellness team is ready to help. Visit us in Barrington, Illinois, for a full review of your birth control options.
It helps to break down various birth control methods into groups to help you focus your energy on appropriate options. For example, if you plan to have children at a later date, you can rule out all permanent methods of protecting against pregnancy.
The general classifications of birth control methods include:
These techniques may also be called “fertility awareness” methods since they rely on knowing the days you’re fertile each month. Avoiding pregnancy means abstinence on these days or using an alternate temporary method when the risk of pregnancy climbs.
A barrier that keeps an egg and sperm physically apart can serve as a temporary or regular choice, though it’s required to be in place whenever you have intercourse. Options include female and male condoms, contraceptive sponges, cervical caps, and diaphragms.
Including birth control pills, injections, patches, and vaginal rings. Depending on the product used, these methods require daily, weekly, or monthly attention. If you’re not the sort to remember to take pills or schedule clinic visits, they may not be the best choices for you.
These options include intrauterine devices (IUDs), both hormonal and copper, as well as a hormonal implant called Nexplanon. Depending on the product, you have reversible protection lasting between 3 and 10 years.
Used each time you have sex, vaginal gels, and spermicides chemically affect the activity of sperm, preventing it from reaching an egg.
Medical procedures for both women and men create permanent barriers to eggs and sperm. Tubal ligation and vasectomy are two common forms of sterilization.
The morning-after pill is perhaps the best-known emergency birth control, taken after intercourse. It works by delaying or preventing ovulation. It may not work if an egg is released or implanted in the uterine wall.
To be effective, every contraceptive method must be used as intended as well as when intended. Likewise, each method has a failure rate even when used appropriately. Some birth control options work best when combined, such as condoms and spermicides.
Inform yourself about your choices; a few options should emerge as right for you. Contact ThriveOB and Women's Wellness to arrange a birth control consultation. A frank discussion with Jennifer Moreira, MD, FACOG, and her team will confirm your best options.
Call 847-868-2908 to book your appointment with ThriveOB and Women's Wellness today.
