Birth Control

Also called: Contraception

On this page

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 (Eunice Kennedy Shriver 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? (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
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)
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
Contraceptive Sponge (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Depo-Provera: An Injectable Contraceptive (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Essure Discontinued: What Does that Mean for You? (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)

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

Birth Control

Basics

Learn More

See, Play and Learn

Research

Resources

For You