Contraceptive Counseling

Contraceptives, or birth control options, can largely be divided into three categories:

• Hormonal: There are many birth control options that influence your hormones in order to prevent unwanted pregnancy. While all of them accomplish the same thing — preventing ovulation — the delivery methods vary considerably and include oral pills, patches, injections, implants, and IUDs, among others.
• Barrier: In order to stop sperm from reaching and fertilizing your egg, there are contraceptives that block sperm, such as condoms, diaphragms, IUDs, sponges, and cervical caps.
• Natural: If you’d prefer to try a more natural method, outercourse, withdrawal, fertility planning, and abstinence are the primary options.

There are also surgical methods that prevent pregnancy, including blocking your fallopian tubes or having your male partner undergo a vasectomy.

Outside of abstinence, there’s no birth control that offers 100% protection, but many get awfully close. Your doctor at Suburban Women’s Specialists will thoroughly review the efficacy rates of each option with you, but here’s a sample to get you started:

• Implant: 99%
• IUD: 99%
• Injection: 94%
• Condom: 85%
• Birth control pill: 91%
• Diaphragm: 88%

Many of these methods require that you use them properly to achieve the best protection. For example, if you skip a birth control pill, you run the risk of compromising its efficacy. Or if a condom breaks, your risk of pregnancy increases considerably.

Because of the sheer number of options, it’s best to sit down with either Dr. Chua or Dr. Anthony to figure out which contraceptive is right for your lifestyle and goals. This type of counseling is invaluable in helping you make a decision that also takes your health into consideration.

During your visit, your doctor reviews several areas, such as your:

• Medical history
• Your family-planning goals
• Your lifestyle

It’s important to note that outside of condoms and abstinence, these birth control methods don’t protect you against sexually transmitted diseases, which your doctor discusses with you if that’s also a concern.

If you’d like comprehensive contraceptive counseling, call Suburban Women’s Specialists or fill out the online form to request an appointment.