An unplanned pregnancy may go smoothly, but it isn’t always under the optimum circumstances for yourself or your child. With contraception management from the team at Comprehensive Women’s OB/GYN, you can hold off on pregnancy until the right time or prevent pregnancy from being a possibility at all. To review your options for contraception with the help of an expert, call your nearest Comprehensive Women’s OB/GYN location, or book an appointment online today.
Contraception, also called birth control, is a method of family planning that allows you to hold off on having children until you’re ready or prevent pregnancies altogether. Beyond simply using a condom to stop sperm from reaching your eggs, contraception prevents you from ovulating by using hormones or makes your vagina unliveable for sperm.
You must follow all instructions from your physician at Comprehensive Women’s OB/GYN diligently to maximize their benefit. As effective as they are in preventing pregnancy, most can’t defend your body from STDs like herpes, chlamydia, or HIV.
Using contraception helps you plan for your life and regulate your hormones. In relation to family planning, contraceptives allow you to:
Hormonal contraceptives have some added health benefits, too. Your physician may recommend them to help treat or control hormonal acne, endometriosis, or menstrual problems.
The team walks you through the benefits and limitations of each of your contraceptive options. Because you have plenty of options, you can pick one that fits your personal preferences. Your options at Comprehensive Women’s OB/GYN are:
Oral contraceptives, commonly called “the pill,” come in the form of pills you swallow every day. The pill contains hormones that stop you from ovulating each month and thicken the mucus in your cervix to deter sperm from swimming toward your uterus.
Comprehensive Women’s OB/GYN provides three of the leading IUDs to patients who would rather not remember to take a pill or change devices regularly. ParaGard® is a copper IUD that sits in your uterus and prevents pregnancy for up to 12 years. The practice also offers Mirena®, a eight-year hormonal IUD, and Kyleena®, a five-year hormonal IUD.
NuvaRing® is a circular device that sits comfortably in your vagina, releasing the hormones estrogen and progestin to stop you from ovulating. You need to change it once each month, but it’s 91% effective in preventing pregnancy.
Nexplanon® is a unique type of birth control called an etonogestrel implant. Unlike IUDs and NuvaRing, your provider implants the Nexplanon device in your upper arm. It stays there and releases low hormone doses to prevent pregnancy for up to three years.
Call Comprehensive Women’s OB/GYN or reserve your appointment online to explore your options for contraception today.
