What Are My Birth Control Options?

You’re sexually active, but getting pregnant isn’t in your short-term plans — or maybe it’s not even in your long-term plans. Whether you haven’t had a baby, your family is already complete, or you never want to have kids, birth control can help you avoid an unplanned pregnancy and keep your family planning goals on track. 

As women’s wellness experts who offer a full scope of contraception options, our team at Panhandle Obstetrics and Gynecology in Amarillo, Texas, knows that no single form of birth control is right for everyone. Still, there’s likely at least one method that meets your needs. 

Five basic categories of contraception

Outside of abstinence, a partner’s vasectomy, and fertility awareness-based methods (FABM) of family planning, there are five basic categories of contraception. Within these categories, there are nearly 20 distinct birth control methods.

All forms of birth control work to prevent pregnancy in one of the following ways and in certain cases, through some combination of these techniques: 

• Stopping monthly ovulation (egg release)
• Blocking sperm from entering your uterus
• Killing sperm within your reproductive tract

Depending on where they fall on the needs-based spectrum, the five general categories of birth control are further subdivided into two groups: situational birth control and everyday contraception. 

Everyday contraception categories and types

For most women, the form of birth control that best matches their needs comes from one of three everyday pregnancy prevention categories, which include: 

Hormonal birth control medication

Contraceptive medications use female reproductive hormones to stop ovulation. Combined oral contraception (the pill), transdermal birth control (the patch), and the vaginal ring contain both estrogen and progestin. 

For women who can’t take estrogen, the mini-pill, injectable birth control (the shot), the birth control implant, and hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs) are progestin-only options. 

Apart from progestin-releasing IUDs and implants, hormonal contraception is a short-acting form of birth control that’s only fully effective when used properly (i.e., taking a pill every day at the same time or changing your vaginal ring on the right day every month).

Long-acting, reversible contraception (LARC)

LARC methods include the IUD and the implant and are designed to prevent pregnancy for years at a time. You can have your implant or IUD removed by our team when you’re ready to get pregnant or switch to another form of contraception, or you can have either replaced at the recommended time for continued long-term use. 

An IUD is a tiny T-shaped device that keeps sperm out of your uterus. Progestin-releasing IUDs, which also prevent ovulation, can stay in place for 3-8 years, while copper-emitting IUDs, which also repel sperm, work for up to 12 years. 

A birth control implant is a small, thin rod that’s inserted in your upper arm. It releases progestin in a controlled manner and prevents pregnancy for up to 5 years. 

Barrier contraceptive methods

Barrier birth control methods — including male and female condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, contraceptive sponges, and spermicidal foams — prevent pregnancy by keeping sperm out of your uterus by blocking it, killing it, or both. 

Designed for one-time use, this is the only form of contraception that also helps protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Situational birth control categories and types

Other contraceptives exist to meet highly specific, or situational, birth control needs. These birth control methods fall into two general categories:

Emergency contraception

To avoid pregnancy after unprotected sex or failed contraception, such as condom breakage, emergency birth control methods — including the morning-after pill and the prompt insertion of a copper IUD by a doctor — can prevent sperm and egg union. 

Permanent birth control

Permanent contraception, or surgical sterilization, prevents pregnancy indefinitely by blocking, cutting, or tying off your fallopian tubes so eggs can no longer enter your uterus. 

Which contraceptive matches your needs?

To determine which form of birth control is best for you, it’s important to assess how each option meets or doesn’t meet your personal needs. To help you find the right match, our contraception counseling team will ask you to consider the following personal factors:

• Your age and health history
• Number of sexual partners 
• Sexual intercourse frequency 
• Future family planning desires
• Comfort with each method

We’ll also help you understand the pros and cons of each method by discussing:

• Rate of effectiveness
• Convenience and ease of use
• Possible side effects
• Protection against STIs
• Cost and insurance coverage

For example, if you have multiple partners, you don’t plan to get pregnant anytime soon, you don’t want to have to think about birth control, and you want to reduce your STI risk, we may recommend combining a set-it-and-forget-it LARC method (implant or IUD) with a barrier method (male condom) for effective prevention and protection. 

Ready to learn more about your birth control options? Call 806-359-5468 to schedule a visit at Panhandle Obstetrics and Gynecology today.