Back
Info Center

How do I know which method is right for me?

Deciding which method of birth control to use is a very personal decision. Birth control and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention is the responsibility of both partners, regardless of their sex or gender. All of the hormonal birth control methods are intended for bodies with a uterus, but this is only because it’s much easier to control one egg a month than it is to control hundreds of millions of sperm every day.

Latex, polyisoprene or polyurethane condoms are the only methods of birth control that protect against pregnancy and STDs. We recommend that couples having penile-vaginal sex use a barrier method, such as a condom, and hormonal method, such as the Pill, to get protection against both unplanned pregnancies and STDs.

Here are some things to consider when deciding which method is right for you:

  • Do you want a method that you take every day, regardless of how often you have sex, a method you only take now and then or a method that is only required when you actually have sex?
  • Hormonal birth control provides the most effective prevention of pregnancy, but some people don’t like the idea of taking hormones. Others find it convenient. Is a hormonal method right for you?
  • Are you good at attending to details, such as taking a pill every day at the same time?
  • Would you rather use a hormonal method like the Patch that you only have to think about once a week, or the shot Depo-Provera that you only have to get once every three months?
  • Perhaps you only want to think about birth control when you are actually going to have sex. Then maybe you would want to use a diaphragm or sponge.
  • Do you want your birth control to do double duty? Then condoms—which are the only methods that prevent both pregnancy and STDs—might be the choice for you.

 

Chat software by BoldChat