Which birth control method is right 4 u? Check out ur options at www.safeandeffective.org!
There are a lot of birth control methods out there, and some are way better than others. Most of the time, when people hear “birth control,” they think of the pill. For some young women, the pill isn’t the right choice, and they think they don’t have any other option. Luckily, that definitely isn’t true!
Here’s a quick list of the most popular methods:
- Condoms – physically block sperm from entering the cervix and causing pregnancy.
- The Pill – daily pill of hormones. Over 200 different kinds.
- The Ring – flexible plastic ring put in the vagina every three weeks. One week out for your period.
- The Patch – like a band-aid, only it puts small, regular amounts of hormones into your body.
- The Shot – once every three months. Shot of hormones.
- The Implant – the size of a matchstick. Inserted into upper arm by a clinician the implant puts hormones into your body. Can last up to 3 years.
- The Hormone IUD – small flexible piece of plastic shaped like a T that releases hormones. Inserted into the uterus by a clinician. Can last up to 5 years.
- The Copper IUD – small flexible piece of plastic shaped like a T that is wrapped in copper wire. Inserted into the uterus by a clinician. Can last up to 12 years.
There are tons of ways to learn more about each method: you can read up on teensource.org, check out bedsider.org, or talk to your local teen clinic doc or nurse. Lots of schools have nurses who can discuss these with you as well. Even your parents might be a good resource for birth control info. It’s all free and confidential at your local teen clinic.
But if you know that you don’t want to get pregnant any time soon, there are three birth control methods – the implant, the hormone IUD and the copper IUD - that work better than any others and they’re safe. And they are so easy to use, you can forget about them for years at a time! Learn more about these methods at www.safeandeffective.org.