Birth Control Methods

All women and men should have control over if and when they become parents. Making decisions about birth control, or contraception, is not easy - there are many things to think about. Learning about birth control methods you or your partner can use to prevent pregnancy and talking with your health care provider are two good ways to get started.

There is no "best" method of birth control. Each method has its own pros and cons. Some methods work better than others do at preventing pregnancy. Researchers are always working to develop or improve birth control methods.

The birth control method you choose should take into account:

• your overall health;
• how often you have sex;
• the number of sexual partners you have;
• if you want to have children;
• how well each method works (or is effective) in preventing pregnancy;
• any potential side effects; and
• your comfort level with using the method.

Bear in mind that NO method of birth control prevents pregnancy all of the time. Birth control methods can fail. But you can greatly increase a method's success rate by using it correctly all of the time. The only way to be sure you never get pregnant is to not have sex (abstinence).