Contraception Tips for Your Lifestyle

1. If you keep forgetting to take oral contraceptives, talk to your health care professional about a contraceptive option you don't have to think much about; this might include long-term contraception, such as NuvaRing, Implanon, DepoProvera or an IUD.
2. If you've "been there, done that" and have decided you're finished with childbearing, or you've decided you don't want children, permanent contraception is a highly reliable birth control option. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, all forms of sterilization, including the Essure procedure, have a failure rate of less than 1 percent (one pregnancy per 100 women).
3. Today's birth control pills come with very low doses of estrogen, as well as a "mini-pill" option that contains no estrogen, only progesterone.
4. There's a birth control option for nearly every lifestyle—whether reversible (oral contraceptives, barrier methods), long-term (injections, implants, IUDs), or permanent (Essure procedure, tubal ligation, vasectomy). Some options are vastly different, safer or more effective than the products of years past, while newer products may be unfamiliar to you. Be sure to discuss your preferences with your health care professional to find an option that fits your needs at your life stage.
5. If you have medical or religious concerns about artificial birth control methods, talk to your health care professional about fertility awareness methods, sometimes called natural family planning. When used properly, these methods can prevent pregnancy up to 80 percent of the time.
6. More than half of 17-year-olds have had intercourse. A sexually active teenager who doesn't use contraception has a 90 percent chance of becoming pregnant within one year. Studies show that teens who talk to their parents about sex, pregnancy, birth control and sexually transmitted infections are less likely to become sexually active at an early age and more likely to use protection when they do have sex.

This content was produced with the support of an educational grant from Conceptus, Inc.

Create Date: 5/7/07
Date Last Updated: 5/7/07