Understanding Your Birth Control Options

The decision to protect yourself from unintended pregnancies is a personal one. The choice you make in birth control is also personal, and we can help you make it.

At Raveco Medical, our experienced gynecology team offers comprehensive birth control options and counseling services to help you plan your family the way you want it.

What to know about birth control

Birth control describes methods and devices that you use to prevent pregnancy. Some options work better than others, and some offer more convenience.

The birth control you choose to prevent unwanted pregnancies should meet your expectations for pregnancy prevention, but they also need to accommodate your health needs, your preferences, and your lifestyle.

The birth control counseling services we offer at Raveco Medical focus on your unique needs and your plans for family. We offer a wide range of birth control options and can help you choose the most effective, safest option.

Available options for birth control

We offer a wide range of birth control options to fit your changing needs. These options include:

Natural birth control

If you’re looking for a natural, holistic approach to pregnancy prevention, you may consider natural planning methods like cervical mucus monitoring.

This type of natural birth control helps you avoid sex on your most fertile days to prevent conception. Natural methods may work for you if you don’t want to or can’t use hormonal birth control for religious, cultural, or medical reasons.

Barrier birth control

Barrier methods prevent sperm from meeting eggs for fertilization. Popular choices in barrier birth controls include condoms, cervical caps, and diaphragms.

You must use a barrier method every time you have sex to prevent pregnancy. Condoms also offer added protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Hormonal birth control

Hormonal birth control options like pills, patches, and injections prevent ovulation to protect you from getting pregnant. 

These methods provide pregnancy protection for a month at a time or longer, depending on the option you choose. They may also be more convenient that barrier methods that you have to use each time before sex.

We offer several birth control pill and patch options, such as NuvaRing® and Depo-Provera® injections we provide in-office. We can also place the Nexplanon® hormonal implant in your upper arm during a simple procedure.

Intrauterine devices (IUDs)

An IUD is a T-shaped device that fits inside your uterus to prevent egg and sperm from meeting. There are both hormonal and nonhormonal (copper) IUDs available, which provide long-term pregnancy prevention for up to 10 years.

We offer popular hormonal IUDs like Skyla® and Mirena®, as well as ParaGard®, a copper IUD that doesn’t use hormones to protect against pregnancy.

Permanent birth control

For women who are sure they no longer want children, permanent solutions like minimally invasive tubal ligation are available to provide permanent protection from birth control. Men can also see their doctor about a vasectomy.

If you need birth control or are thinking about switching to a different method, schedule a consultation at Raveco Medical online or call the office nearest you today.