Sexual Health:Birth Control and Your Health
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What You Need to Know
- Birth Control Is Safer Than Ever
- What's New in Hormonal Birth Control
- Hormonal Birth Control Can Mess With Your Mood
- 7 of the Most Common Birth Control Side Effects
- I Ditched Acne by Switching Birth Control
- Don't Bother Blaming the Condom
- 3 Reasons to Use a Condom for Birth Control
- IUDs Are the Most Popular Reversible Birth Control in the World
- Why Whitney Chose the IUD
- The Patch: For Women Who Won't Take the Pill Every Day
- The Ring Delivers Hormones Gradually
- I Ditched the Pill Because the Ring Is Easier
- The Continuous Pill Means Fewer Periods
- 4 New Male Contraceptives on the Way
- Scalpel-Free Vasectomies for Men and Essure for Women
- The Morning-After Pill Is Birth Control Backup
Don't Bother Blaming the Condom (It's Usually Your Fault)
Condom misuse is behind more unwanted pregnancies than breakage is
In theory, condoms are 97% effective for preventing pregnancy—that's almost as effective as the Pill. But under real-life circumstances, so many people use them incorrectly or avoid them for one reason or another that the
effectiveness of condoms drops to 85%... Read More
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What You Need to Know About the Pill, IUDs, Condoms, and Other Birth Control
Dr. Hilda Hutcherson
clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center
Q: If I have sex without a condom and I'm not on birth control, what's the chance I'll get pregnant?
A: There's about a 20% chance that you'll get pregnant during any given monthly cycle. While that doesn't sound very likely, the percentage goes up if you continue to have sex without a condom. Read More
A: There's about a 20% chance that you'll get pregnant during any given monthly cycle. While that doesn't sound very likely, the percentage goes up if you continue to have sex without a condom. Read More
Scalpel-Free Vasectomies for Men and Essure for Women
A smaller incision, an outpatient procedure
For many people, the scariest thing about sterilization is that scalpel. Men especially don't want sharp knives anywhere near their penises. Enter the no-scalpel vasectomy and knife-free tube-tying... Read More
I Ditched Acne and a Libido Problem by Switching Birth Control
A marathon runner on the Pill gets serious about side effects
The Pill is a very effective form of birth control, but it's not without side effects, and sometimes patience is key. Just ask Andrea, 29, a public relations executive and marathon runner... Read More
