Find My Method

Want to have fun but no babies and infections? Then protection is what you need. There are 18 different contraceptive methods to choose from, including hormonal and non-hormonal options with short, medium and long term protection. Pick the one that suits you best.

  The Business of Birth Control

There can be no real gender justice without an unpacking of the power structures surrounding the reproductive health industry complex—and of the choices that the market pushes on women. Abby Epstein’s latest documentary highlights the dark history of eugenics and underfunded research that the birth control pill, often heralded as a feminist turning point in the history of reproductive rights, hides within itself.

  You Should Buy Birth Control Online

Doctors have been pushing for the pill to be available over the counter for years. This is almost as good.

 Birth Control Is Next

If you look closely, attempts to restrict contraception are already in the works.

A Smarter Way to Compare Birth Control Methods

Information on this stuff has always been out there. It's just hard to parse. Google "birth control" and your first four results will be ads.

Birth Control Methods

The best way to reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy among women who are sexually active is to use effective birth control correctly and consistently. Among reversible methods of birth control, intrauterine contraception and the contraceptive implant remain highly effective for years once correctly in place.

How Likely Is It That Birth Control Could Let You Down?

Misuse and failure of birth control are major contributors to the millions of unplanned pregnancies in the United States each year. When failure rates of contraceptives are mentioned, they usually refer to a given year of use. Less understood is that the risk of failure is compounded over time. The longer any method of contraception is used, the greater the probability of unplanned pregnancy.

How limiting women’s access to birth control and abortions hurts the economy

Reproductive health isn’t just about abortions, despite all the attention they get. It’s also about access to family planning services, contraception, sex education and much else.

Your Guide To Eco-Friendly Birth Control

So you're having safe sex. Good for you! But is your contraceptive safe for the environment? Here is some information about the environmental impacts of a few of the most popular non-permanent forms of birth control in the U.S. Note that sterilization is not included because it is permanent (but it's also pretty green).

Birth Control Doesn’t Have to Mean the Pill

The I.U.D. is the gold standard for the attention-challenged, Dr. Cullins said, as it remains effective for up to 12 years. On a dollar-for-dollar basis, it is also clearly the most cost-effective method, unless you plan to stop birth control altogether in the near future. Similar options include hormonal methods like the Ortho Evra Patch, which is replaced once a week; the NuvaRing vaginal ring, which remains in place for three weeks; the Depo-Provera shot, which contains pregnancy-preventing hormones effective for three months; and Implanon hormonal implants.

Birth Control Options for Women Over 40

Because of misconceptions about the health risks of different birth control methods, some health care providers discourage perimenopausal women (those transitioning toward menopause) in their 40s and 50s from using contraceptive methods, such as birth control pills, that they previously relied on in their 20s and 30s. The truth is that a healthy, nonsmoking woman can safely use almost any contraceptive method, including the pill, all the way through menopause.

Block That Sperm!

The future of birth control, from remote-controlled implants to—at long last—a pill for men.

Contraception: The Pros And Cons Of 13 Methods

From the mini pill to the implant, here’s what you need to know.

Explainer: what are the options for birth control?

Today there are five general categories of options for birth control...

Getting Birth Control Under Control When You’re Living Abroad

When we move abroad, many of us are consumed by the logistics of getting a work visa or finding an apartment. But given varying access to and attitudes on birth control around the world, sexually active women who aren’t ready for kids might also want to think about how they’ll get contraceptives in their new country.

How Likely Is It That Birth Control Could Let You Down?

The longer any method of contraception is used, the greater the probability of unplanned pregnancy — the same way that any small risk, taken repeatedly, grows in likelihood. This is true for all contraception methods, even in the highly unlikely event that they are used perfectly, every time.

Kill The Drill And She Can Quit The Pill: A Promising Step Toward A Male Contraceptive

Many forms of contraception try to stop the sperm from achieving its goal by disrupting the swim. Condoms, cervical caps and diaphragms try to block the swim lane. Spermicides try to kill the sperm before it arrives.

Natural Birth Control Alternatives to “The Pill”

I got to be honest, guys… Never thought I’d be writing about natural birth control. I’ve always been something of a “private” person when it comes to this kind of stuff, but I’ve had a lot of people ask me my thoughts on more natural birth control alternatives to hormonal pills. And since I have some pretty strong feelings about oral contraceptives, I decided the time was right to talk about the alternatives.

Thank Contraception, Not Abstinence, for the Drop in U.S. Teen Pregnancies

The United States' teen pregnancy rate, the very highest among the world’s 20 nations with complete statistics, has been falling since the 1990s. Since 2007, it has dropped precipitously, but teens didn’t report a significant change in their sexual activity. What could possibly be behind this welcome decline in adolescent fertility?

The Best Birth Control (For You)

There are so many birth control options and what is right for one person may not be the best option for another person. Or what is right for one person at a particular time in her life (like a young woman in college) is different from when this same person is in a married, monogamous relationship. In choosing birth control, it is really important to do the research, understand the pros and the cons of each choice, and combine this with your health history and current healthcare needs. The best option can be arrived at when these variables are taken into consideration.

The Best Birth Control for You Now

Staying loyal to a great doctor or a genius hairdresser—that’s just smart. But when it comes to birth control, sticking with the same method throughout the years isn’t always the right move. "Your contraceptive should fit your health, lifestyle, and values," says Michele Curtis, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

The Birth Control Solution

What if there were a solution to many of the global problems that confront us, from climate change to poverty to civil wars? There is, but it is starved of resources. It’s called family planning, and it has been a victim of America’s religious wars.

The Different Stakes of Male and Female Birth Control

A clinical trial of contraceptives for men was halted because of side effects—side effects that women have dealt with for decades.

The Future Of Male Birth Control

First, here is what we know works. You’re probably well aware of these methods, but it’s worth reiterating that these are the only tried and true methods on this list. So, if birth control is your goal, these are your best bets.

The Most Common Birth Control Side Effects

Birth control has one great upside: no pregnancies! (Yes, it’s not a 100-percent guarantee, but it’s pretty darn reliable.) But in order to reap that benefit, you may also have to deal with extra pounds, depression, or other unpleasant side effects. While at times these are just mild irritations, for some women they can become so debilitating that they quit using their BC.

The New Old-School Birth Control

Tracking fertility effectively is more complicated than just counting days on the calendar. But it can work.

The Perfect Birth Control for Men Is Here. Why Can't We Use It?

The future is here, and it’s not what we thought it would be. But screw flying cars and hoverboards—where is our legit birth control?

The Pill, the Condom, and the American Dream

Poor kids are finally narrowing the achievement gap with rich kids. Is contraception the cause?

The ultimate birth control comparison guide

Choosing a birth control method is an important — and very personal — decision. Having thorough, accurate information at your fingertips is essential. Here you’ll find a detailed comparison of the most popular types of contraception available.

What Birth Control Is Right For You?

There are many different options available to help prevent pregnancy. The most commonly known methods include condoms, birth control pills, and getting your tubes tied. However, several other choices are available. Each option has differences that can make it either the right or wrong choice for you.

What the US can learn from Ethiopia about birth control

Dr. Mengistu Asnake has spent the past 25 years working to increase contraceptive access for women in Ethiopia — and has seen a startling change in how women use birth control. In the early 2000s, the Ethiopian government began to train and employ thousands of women to do something incredibly important: deliver effective, modern birth control straight to women's doorsteps. The results, Asnake says, are astounding: Ethiopia's use of modern contraceptives has essentially tripled over a decade.

What to Consider Before Choosing Your Birth Control

All birth control methods have their strong and weak points, and making a decision about birth control is a highly individual decision. Just because your best friend or your doctor introduces you to a particular method doesn’t mean that it is the one that works the best in your life. I strongly believe that before you make a decision about what method you choose, you have all of the facts so you can make the most informed choice possible for you.

The strange truth about the pill

We’re often told that the pill contains oestrogen and progesterone. But no pill contains either hormone.

There are so many types of birth control. Here's how to choose what works for you

It's also a decision that's about way more than just birth control: It's about sex and relationships and all the baggage that comes along with those topics.

Good News: Birth Control Has Become More Effective in Recent Years

For all the bad news surrounding the politics of reproductive health care these days, there’s been an awful lot of apolitical good news in the meantime. The abortion rate recently declined to its lowest level since Roe v. Wade. Unplanned pregnancies, though still making up almost half of all pregnancies in the United States, have plummeted. Teen births and pregnancies have fallen dramatically in recent years, too. In a totally unrelated development, it turns out birth control is working quite well these days as well.

Phexxi® puts you in control of your sexual health

This revolutionary birth control is hormone-free and works by maintaining vaginal pH. It’s the flexibility of Phexxi that makes it so appealing and ground-breaking. Consider new parents who would rather not take hormones while breastfeeding or people who want to live their lives free of synthetic hormones. Also, those with pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure, breast cancer, heart disease, severe diabetes, severe liver disease, a history of blood clots or a history of stroke aren’t eligible for hormones. Plus, not everyone wants to use birth control when they aren’t having sex.

The Truth of Contraceptives

There are various contraceptive methods available today. The most common artificial methods are...

Birth Control Apps Find A Big Market In 'Contraception Deserts'

Rachel Ralph works long hours at an accounting firm in Oakland, Calif., and coordinates much of her life via the apps on her phone. So when she first heard several months ago that she could order her usual brand of birth control pills via an app and have them delivered to her doorstep in a day or two, it seemed perfect. She was working 12-hour days.

Contraceptive injections

Contraceptive injections contain a progestogen hormone which is similar to the natural progesterone produced by the ovaries. There are three types of injection. Depo-Provera and Sayana Press protect you from pregnancy for 13 weeks. Noristerat protects you for eight weeks; it’s not commonly used in the UK.

The Birth-Control Riddle

Nowadays, women can choose from a bevy of birth-control options, including pills, patches and rings that allow them to have as few periods as they like, even none. Implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs) can prevent pregnancy for years at a time and eliminate the need to refill and remember. Morning-after pills that can decrease the risk from unprotected sex are available without a prescription even to teenagers. Women who want to end their fertility permanently can do so in a doctor's office without undergoing surgery.

Where the Hell Is Birth Control for Men?

For years, headlines have promised birth control for cis men is just around the corner. The truth is more complicated.