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The Daily Insight

What are my options for birth control?

Author

Ava Bailey

Updated on May 06, 2026

Your birth control options include:
  • Barrier methods. Examples include male and female condoms, as well as the diaphragm, cervical cap and contraceptive sponge.
  • Short-acting hormonal methods.
  • Long-acting hormonal methods.
  • Sterilization.
  • Fertility awareness methods.

Besides, what are my birth control options?

Your birth control options include:

  • Barrier methods. Examples include male and female condoms, as well as the diaphragm, cervical cap and contraceptive sponge.
  • Short-acting hormonal methods.
  • Long-acting hormonal methods.
  • Sterilization.
  • Fertility awareness methods.

Furthermore, what are the 3 types of birth control? There are many different methods of birth control including condoms, IUDs, birth control pills, the rhythm method, vasectomy, and tubal ligation.

Also to know is, what are the best birth control options?

Long-term contraception

Long-term contraception can be a good choice if you want effective, lasting birth control without much maintenance. Choices include an implant inserted into your arm or an intrauterine device (IUD) inserted into your uterus. These methods are 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.

What is the best form of birth control with the least side effects?

No form of birth control is free of side effects, but the IUD (intrauterine device) seems to have the least noticeable ones. That's what makes it such a popular option among women of all ages. An IUD is a tiny device a doctor puts into your uterus to prevent pregnancy.

Related Question Answers

What is the only birth control method that is 100% effective?

Abstinence is the only birth control that is 100 percent effective and is also the best way to protect you against STDs. You may not be ready to have sex.

What do most married couples use for birth control?

Methods used
  • Seventy-two percent of women who practice contraception currently use nonpermanent methods—primarily hormonal methods (i.e., the pill, patch, implant, injectable and vaginal ring), IUDs and condoms.
  • The pill and female sterilization have been the two most commonly used methods since 1982.

What birth control helps you lose weight?

The birth control pill Yasmin is the only birth control pill that has this effect. It is not marketed as a weight loss pill, and women can only expect to lose maybe a pound or two in excess water. As always, making smarter diet choices and exercising are the only ways to prevent weight gain or promote weight loss.

Is the shot better than the pill?

Share on Pinterest The birth control shot is more effective than the pill at preventing pregnancy. Hormonal birth control comes in several forms, including an injectable shot and oral pills. A person needs to take birth control pills at the same time each day.

What are natural birth control methods?

9 Natural Birth Control Options
  • Calendar rhythm method.
  • Basal body temperature method.
  • Mucus inspection method.
  • Symptothermal method.
  • Ovulation indicator testing kits.
  • Withdrawal method.
  • Lactational infertility.
  • Douching and urination.

Which birth control stops periods?

DMPA injection (Depo-Provera)

It is a form of long-term birth control and also reduces or eliminates monthly bleeding. After one year of DMPA injections, 50% to 75% of women report having no periods. The longer you use DMPA , the more likely it is to stop your periods.

What is the cheapest birth control pill?

Pharmacies with Low Cost Birth Control Pills:

Norethindrone, Sprintec, or Tri-Sprintec birth control pills: $9 for 1 pack, $24 for 3 packs.

Can I use condoms as my only form of birth control?

If you use condoms perfectly every single time you have sex, they're 98% effective at preventing pregnancy. But people aren't perfect, so in real life condoms are about 85% effective — that means about 15 out of 100 people who use condoms as their only birth control method will get pregnant each year.

Does birth control make you thick?

But for many women, one of the most off-putting charges against the contraceptive pill is that it makes us fat. In fact, weight gain is the most commonly reported side effect of the combined pill – the most popular type, which contains both lab-made oestrogen and progesterone.

Does birth control make you prettier?

Men have evolved brains that find women's faces, voices, and body scents most attractive at this time. The pill lowers estrogen levels though, so it may make you lose a little bit of your sexiness edge and decrease the likelihood of being approached by males for sex.

How bad is birth control for you?

Even though birth control pills are very safe, using the combination pill can slightly increase your risk of health problems. Complications are rare, but they can be serious. These include heart attack, stroke, blood clots, and liver tumors. In very rare cases, they can lead to death.

Is birth control bad for you long term?

On the other hand, research suggests that long-term use of estrogen-containing birth control pills is associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. This risk increases the longer you take the pills. But once you stop taking the pills, the risk of cervical cancer begins to decline.

Is being on birth control for 10 years bad?

If you've been taking birth control pills for some time and have had no side effects, it's likely that you can continue using them for as long as you need them and as long as your healthcare provider deems it's still a safe choice. For most healthy people, birth control pills are safe for long-term use.

Can I get pregnant if I miss a pill?

If you have missed 1 pill anywhere in the pack or started a new pack 1 day late, you're still protected against pregnancy. You should: take the last pill you missed now, even if this means taking 2 pills in 1 day. carry on taking the rest of the pack as normal.

How can I get birth control without my parents knowing?

But if you feel like you can't talk to your parents, you can still look into birth control options and get sexual-health care. Make an appointment with your general doctor or gynecologist . Or you can go to your local Planned Parenthood (or student health center if your school has one).

Is birth control free for everyone?

Because of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), most insurance plans must cover all methods of birth control at no cost to you, including the pill. However, some plans only cover certain brands of pills or generic versions. Your health insurance provider can tell you which types of birth control they pay for.

What birth control is best for PCOS?

Best birth control pills for PCOS
  • Mircette.
  • Natazia.
  • Nordette.
  • Lo/Orval.
  • Ortho-Novum.
  • Ortho Tri-Cyclen.
  • Yasmin.
  • Yaz.

How effective is the pill without pulling out?

If you use it perfectly, the pill is 99% effective. But people aren't perfect and it's easy to forget or miss pills — so in reality the pill is about 91% effective. That means about 9 out of 100 pill users get pregnant each year.

What birth control has the least hormones?

Some examples of low-dose pills are:
  • Drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol (Yasmin)
  • Levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol (Levora)
  • Norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol (Estrostep or Ortho-Novum)
  • Norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol (Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo)
  • Norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol (Lo/Ovral-28)

What makes birth control pills fail?

The pill. Human behavior is the most common reason that birth control pills fail (1). The majority of people using the pill forget to take one or more each month (5), while others have challenges filling the prescription monthly (6). Some people might stop taking it because they are concerned about side effects (1).