What type of birth control should I use?
Choosing the right method of birth control can be confusing when there are so many options available. Discussing your situation with Dr. Hutchison at Sunflower Women’s Health Care is a great help because she can give you the most reliable information based on knowing you and your medical history, and having the expertise to recommend the most appropriate method. You need to take into account:
- Ease of use of each method
- Whether there are any potential side effects
- Effectiveness of each method
- How much each method costs
- How easy it is to reverse the effects if you wish to get pregnant
- What effects are there on your menstrual cycle
- Is there any protection against STDs (sexually transmitted diseases)
Being able to discuss these issues with Dr. Hutchison helps you decide which factors are the priority, and how well each method of birth control fits into your life. For example, if you’re not very good at remembering to take pills at the right time, then an implant would be more effective than oral contraception.
What kinds of hormonal birth control methods are available?
Hormonal methods of birth control include:
- Combined contraceptive pill (estrogen and progestin)
- Mini pill (progestin only)
- Medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) injection
- Hormonal skin patches
- Vaginal ring
- Progestin implant
- Hormonal IUD (intrauterine device)
As well as a hormonal IUD, you can also have a long-acting copper IUD, which instead of using hormones releases minute quantities of copper, which affects the health and vigor of any sperm.
What kinds of barrier methods of birth control are available?
Barrier methods of birth control include male condoms, female condoms, diaphragms, and cervical caps, which all create a physical obstacle that prevents sperm from reaching the egg when used correctly. Using spermicide to kill sperm at the same time increases their effectiveness even further.
Male condoms are the only effective method of preventing transmission of STDs, so if you have multiple partners, it’s sensible to use condoms in addition to other birth control methods.
You can also avoid pregnancy using natural methods, where you track your ovulation cycle and avoid having sex when you’re at your most fertile. This is an option for women who don’t wish to use other methods, but the effectiveness is typically lower than with hormonal and barrier methods of contraception.
If you’re certain you don’t want to have children or your family is complete, you could undergo a permanent sterilization procedure.
For help with choosing a birth control method that is going to be most suitable for you, call Sunflower Women’s Health Care today, or book an appointment online.
