Birth Control

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Images

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Teenagers
• Men
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Birth control, also known as contraception, is designed to prevent pregnancy. Birth control methods may work in a number of different ways:

• Preventing sperm from getting to the eggs. Types include condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, and contraceptive sponges.
• Keeping the woman's ovaries from releasing eggs that could be fertilized. Types include birth control pills, patches, shots, vaginal rings, and emergency contraceptive pills.
• IUDs, devices which are implanted into the uterus. They can be kept in place for several years.
• Sterilization, which permanently prevents a woman from getting pregnant or a man from being able to get a woman pregnant

Your choice of birth control should depend on several factors. These include your health, frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners and desire to have children in the future. Your health care provider can help you select the best form of birth control for you.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

• Birth Control Methods (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Birth Control: Medicines to Help You (Food and Drug Administration)
• Contraception and Birth Control (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Unintended Pregnancy Prevention: Contraception (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• What Are the Different Types of Contraception? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Contraception and Birth Control: Other FAQs (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Douching (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Effectiveness of Family Planning Methods (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Noncontraceptive Benefits of Birth Control Pills (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) - PDF
• Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• About Implantable Contraception (Nemours Foundation)
• Barrier Methods of Birth Control: Spermicide, Condom, Sponge, Diaphragm, and Cervical Cap (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) Also in Spanish
• Birth Control: How to Use Your Diaphragm (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Cervical Cap (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Contraceptive Sponge (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Depo-Provera: An Injectable Contraceptive (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Emergency Contraception (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Emergency Contraception (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
• Emergency Contraception Website (Princeton University, Office of Population Research) Also in Spanish
• Essure (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Essure Permanent Birth Control (Food and Drug Administration)
• Female Condom (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• How To Use A Dental Dam As A Barrier For Oral Sex (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Intrauterine Devices (American College of Nurse-Midwives) - PDF
• Morning-After Pill (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Natural Family Planning (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Progestin-Only Birth Control Pills (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Spermicide (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Withdrawal Method (Coitus Interruptus) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Images

• Barrier methods of birth control - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Birth control pill - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Condom application - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• FastStats: Contraceptive Use (National Center for Health Statistics)
• Key Statistics from the National Survey of Family Growth: Vasectomy (National Center for Health Statistics)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Contraception (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Family Planning Services (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Intrauterine Devices (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Comprehensive overview of the recently FDA-approved contraceptive vaginal ring releasing segesterone...
• Article: Effect of age at first use of oral contraceptives on breast...
• Article: Population and the Environment - Time for Another Contraception Revolution.
• Birth Control -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Search for an Emergency Contraception Provider in the United States (Princeton University, Office of Population Research) Also in Spanish
• womenshealth.gov (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Abstinence (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Birth Control (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
• Birth Control Explorer (National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy)
• Birth Control Patch (Nemours Foundation)
• Birth Control Pill (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Birth Control Ring (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Birth Control Shot (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Can a Girl Get Pregnant If She Has Sex during Her Period? (Nemours Foundation)
• CDC Vital Signs: Preventing Teen Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Cervical Cap (Nemours Foundation)
• Condom (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Diaphragm (Nemours Foundation)
• Emergency Contraception (Nemours Foundation)
• Fertility Awareness (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• IUD (Intrauterine Device) (Nemours Foundation)
• Spermicide (Nemours Foundation)
• Withdrawal (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Men

• How Effective Is Male Contraception? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Birth control - slow release methods (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Birth control and family planning (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Birth control pills - combination (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Birth control pills - overview (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Birth control pills - progestin only (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Condoms - male (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Deciding about an IUD (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Female condoms (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Intrauterine devices (IUD) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish