New Birth Control Options

Abstract

There’s never been a better time to decide how to prevent or time a pregnancy. You have a huge range of choices: pills, patches, vaginal rings, injections, implants, intrauterine devices (IUDs), condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, fertility awareness methods, and continuous abstinence. And the news gets even better: New developments in hormone-containing birth control are likely to make those methods more effective, accessible, and convenient than ever before. Who Needs a Method to Prevent Pregnancy? You do, if you’re having sex with a male partner and don’t want to get pregnant. The only reliable way to avoid pregnancy in this case is using a birth control method. Although some women think “birth control” just refers to birth control pills, it really means all ways of preventing pregnancy. Even if you don’t have sex very often, you still need birth control, also called contraception. The proof? About half of all pregnancies every year are unintended. And while sometimes the pregnancy is welcome, though mistimed, an unintended pregnancy can force you to make difficult decisions. If you are reading this, you may already be thinking about choosing or changing your method. Birth Control Pills: Safe, Well Studied, Effective What’s Old: In the U.S., birth control pills are the most commonly chosen reversible method (“reversible” means that you can get pregnant after you stop taking them). Birth control pills have been around for more than 40 years; many studies show they are …