What are the types of birth control?
If you’re seriously considering any type of birth control, you have a wide array of options. To help you figure out the most suitable method for you, you should consider your overall health, personal preferences, and lifestyle. If you’re uncertain about which one to choose, one of our doctors here at Western Wayne Physicians can help you make the best option for your case.
Birth Control Pills
These are the most common kinds of contraception. You can pick between mini-pills and combination birth control pills. For combination pills, you’ll also need to choose between continuous dosing and conventional packets. With continuous dosing BCPs, your period may only occur four times yearly or not at all, while with conventional BCPs, your period will still occur monthly.
Reversible, Long-Acting Contraception
If you’re still planning on conceiving in the future, this option may be a great option for you. With reversible, long-acting birth control, you can select from a contraceptive injection, an implant, or an intrauterine device.
Other Options for Birth Control
If you don’t need continuous birth control, OTC condoms for men and women are excellent options. These also give you protection against STDs or sexually transmitted diseases. You can also opt for a contraceptive sponge or a vaginal ring.
Emergency Birth Control
It’s crucial to keep in mind that emergency birth control shouldn’t be utilized in place of your regular contraception. Essentially, it’s a practical solution if you engaged in unprotected intercourse and you forgot to take your birth control pill or your birth control method, a condom, for example, broke. Emergency contraception includes emergency pills, also called morning-after pills. These should be utilized as soon as possible following unprotected sex.
Sterilization
Vasectomy is the only choice for men. This is an extremely straightforward surgical procedure, in which the tubes carrying the sperm into the semen will be cut off and then sealed. For women, tubal ligation is the only option. It involves permanently blocking or cutting off the fallopian tubes. However, you shouldn’t take the decision to get sterilized lightly because while reversal, in certain cases, is possible, sterilization is generally considered a permanent procedure.
When considering all the birth control options available to you, open yourself to every possibility. Familiarize yourself with all of the options, understand how they work, weigh the benefits and risks, and work with your doctor to determine the best choice for you.