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 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 someone from getting pregnant or from being able to get someone else pregnant.

Your choice of birth control should be based on several factors. These include your health, how often you have sexual activity, how many sexual partners you have, and whether you want 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 (Food and Drug Administration)
• Birth Control Methods (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Birth Control Options: Things to Consider (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Contraception and Birth Control (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Reproductive Health: Contraception (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• What Are the Different Types of Contraception? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Contraception and Birth Control: Other FAQs (Eunice Kennedy Shriver 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
• Noncontraceptive Benefits of Birth Control Pills (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)
• Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• About Implantable Contraception (Nemours Foundation)
• Birth Control: How to Use Your Diaphragm (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Depo-Provera: An Injectable Contraceptive (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Essure Permanent Birth Control (Food and Drug Administration)
• 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
• Know Your Rights: Reproductive Health Care (Department of Health and Human Services) Also in Spanish
• 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
• 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: The role of job aids in supporting task sharing family planning...
• Article: Facility-based simulation as a programmatic tool for implementing a statewide contraceptive...
• Article: Reproductive power matters: aligning actions with values in global family planning.
• Birth Control -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health Also in Spanish
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

Teenagers

• Abstinence (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Birth Control (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
• 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)
• Condom (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Diaphragm (Nemours Foundation)
• Emergency Contraception (Nemours Foundation)
• IUD (Intrauterine Device) (Nemours Foundation)
• Withdrawal (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Men

• How Effective Is Male Contraception? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver 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