Contraception Specialist

Who should take birth control?

Anyone who’s sexually active, doesn’t want to get pregnant, and hasn’t gone through menopause should consider birth control. Dr. Axmann provides contraception and birth control to a variety of patients, including:

• Sexually active teens and young women
• Young married women who want to wait to have children
• Women who’ve decided not to have children
• Women who are satisfied with the number of children they already have

Depending on your specific situation, your gynecologist may also recommend birth control if you’ve recently had a miscarriage, have heavy or frequent periods, or want to regulate your menstruation cycle.

Which type of birth control should I use?

To decide which option is best for you, Dr. Axmann considers several factors, such as your overall health, frequency of intercourse, and desire for children in the future. Some of the most common forms of contraception she recommends include:

• Barrier methods, including condoms, diaphragms, and sponges
• Short-term hormonal birth control, such as the pill, patch, ring, or shot
• Long-acting reversible contraceptives, like NexplanonⓇ insert and MirenaⓇ IUD
• Female sterilization, including tubal ligation

How does birth control work?

The type of birth control you opt for determines how it works. Barrier methods, like condoms, work by preventing sperm from reaching your eggs. If sperm can’t reach the egg, fertilization doesn’t occur, preventing pregnancy.

Short-term hormonal birth control options, like the pill or patch, use hormones to stop your body from ovulating and releasing an egg. With no egg, no fertilization occurs. Ovulation typically returns within a few weeks to a few months after stopping the medication.

Long-acting devices work the same way, using hormones to stop ovulation, but they last much longer. The most common implants include ones that go in your arm, which can last up to three years, or IUDs, small devices placed in the uterus, which provide protection for five years.

Sterilization permanently stops you from getting pregnant. For women, tubal ligation is the most common form of sterilization and occurs when the fallopian tubes are cauterized or pinched, sealing the tube and not allowing the egg to pass.

Would you like to learn about your birth control options? Call Axmann & Whitaker Gynecologic Associates or schedule an appointment online today.