Birth Control: Methods and Side Effects | Health.com

Home
Birth Control
Birth Control

Featured Stories

16 Worst Birth Control Mistakes

16 Worst Birth Control Mistakes

Bungling birth control is all too common. In fact, half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Yikes. To make sure you can count on your contraceptive, here are the potential pitfalls.

The Best Birth Control for You Now

The Best Birth Control for You Now

Whether you’re still in single mode or done with the whole kid thing, there are new ways to prevent a whoops pregnancy. Find the option that fits your life.

7 Common Birth Control Side Effects

7 Common Birth Control Side Effects

Hormone-based birth control often comes with side effects that can range from slightly annoying to bad enough to make you switch. You may not know what you can tolerate until you've given a couple of them a try.

The Most Effective Birth Control, Ranked

The Most Effective Birth Control, Ranked

What you need to know if you’re not planning to get pregnant.

7 Health Benefits of Birth Control Nobody Talks About

7 Health Benefits of Birth Control Nobody Talks About

Oral contraceptives can do a lot more than prevent pregnancy.

How Many Times Can You Actually Take Plan B? Asking For a Friend

How Many Times Can You Actually Take Plan B? Asking For a Friend

Is taking Plan B a couple or even countless times bad for your long-term health? Here's what the experts say.

More on Birth Control

6 Ways You Really Probably Can't Get Pregnant When Having Sex

6 Ways You Really Probably Can't Get Pregnant When Having Sex

Full disclaimer: No day is totally off limits when it comes to getting pregnant, but there are plenty of circumstances that make your chances extremely low. Here, OB/GYNs share the scenarios where you're least likely to conceive.

What Exactly Is a Vasectomy? Here's What You Need to Know

What Exactly Is a Vasectomy? Here's What You Need to Know

What happen during surgery, how much it costs, if it's effective birth control, whether it can be reversed, and more.

9 Things That Might Happen to Your Body When You Quit Birth Control Pills

9 Things That Might Happen to Your Body When You Quit Birth Control Pills

I Gained 15 Pounds After Going on the Pill—So I Spoke to Gynecologists to Find Out Why

I Gained 15 Pounds After Going on the Pill—So I Spoke to Gynecologists to Find Out Why

We Know Surprisingly Little About How Birth Control Affects Our Brains

We Know Surprisingly Little About How Birth Control Affects Our Brains

12 Types of Birth Control

12 Types of Birth Control

7 Guys Explain Everything They Know About Birth Control

Are men really that clueless about birth control? We asked them.

All Birth Control

What Is a Tubal Ligation? We Asked an Ob-Gyn

What Is a Tubal Ligation? We Asked an Ob-Gyn

How You Can Join Health Magazine for the Birth Control Conversation We Need to Have

Health Teams Up With Natural Cycles and OKREAL to Talk About Birth Control on World Contraception Day

A Lot of What You’ve Been Told About the Side Effects of Birth Control Pills Is Probably False

A Lot of What You’ve Been Told About the Side Effects of Birth Control Pills Is Probably False

Shrill Talks About Plus-Size Women and the Morning-After Pill When the Medical Community Won't

Shrill Talks About Plus-Size Women and the Morning-After Pill When the Medical Community Won't

This Woman Thought Her IUD Fell Out—Until Doctors Found It In Her Abdomen 10 Years Later

This Woman Thought Her IUD Fell Out—Until Doctors Found It In Her Abdomen 10 Years Later

Male Birth Control Gel Might Become a Thing–Here's What You Need to Know

Male Birth Control Gel Might Become a Thing–Here's What You Need to Know

What to Know About the Surprising Modern History of Contraception

What to Know About the Surprising Modern History of Contraception

Karlie Kloss Lost Modeling Jobs After Going on Birth Control: 'My Body Became More Womanly'

Karlie Kloss Lost Modeling Jobs After Going on Birth Control: 'My Body Became More Womanly'

Your Birth Control Should Change as You Get Older—These Are the Best Options as You Age

Your Birth Control Should Probably Change as You Get Older—These Are the Best Options in Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

How Long Is Too Long to Be on Birth Control? Ob-Gyns Weigh In

How Long Is Too Long to Be on Birth Control? Ob-Gyns Weigh In

The FDA Approved a Birth Control Ring That Lasts a Whole Year. Here's What You Should Know

The FDA Approved a Birth Control Ring That Lasts a Whole Year. Here's What You Should Know

Everything You Need to Know About the Controversial New Birth Control App

Everything You Need to Know About the Controversial New Birth Control App

3 Birth Control Methods You Might Not Know About

3 Birth Control Methods You Might Not Know About

What Shay Mitchell Wants You to Know About Birth Control

What Shay Mitchell Wants You to Know About Birth Control

How to Buy the Morning-After Pill Without Setting Foot in a Pharmacy

How to Buy the Morning-After Pill Without Setting Foot in a Pharmacy

You Can Now Get Birth Control From an App, Without Seeing a Doctor. Here’s What to Know Before You Try It

You Can Now Get Birth Control From an App, Without Seeing a Doctor. Here’s What to Know Before You Try It

Birth Control Pills May Help Prevent Some Cancers

Birth Control Pills May Help Prevent Some Cancers

What You Need to Know if You Take the Pill and You’re Worried About Your Breast Cancer Risk

What You Need to Know if You Take the Pill and You’re Worried About Your Breast Cancer Risk

Here's What Happened When I Went Off Birth Control Pills for Two Weeks

Here's What Happened When I Went Off Birth Control Pills for Two Weeks

IUDs May Have a Surprising Health Benefit

IUDs May Have a Surprising Health Benefit

Your IUD May Get a Lot More Expensive. Here's How Much It Could Cost in Every State

Your IUD May Get a Lot More Expensive. Here's How Much It Could Cost in Every State

No, Birth Control Doesn’t Make You Have Riskier Sex, Researchers Say

No, Birth Control Doesn’t Make You Have Riskier Sex, Researchers Say

My New Birth Control Made My Skin Go Haywire. Here’s How I Learned to Combat the Acne

My New Birth Control Made My Skin Go Haywire. Here’s How I Learned to Combat the Acne

Emergency Contraception Is Supposed to Be Available on Drugstore Shelves—but It May Not Be as Easy to Find as You Think

Emergency Contraception Is Supposed to Be Available on Drugstore Shelves—but It May Not Be as Easy to Find as You Think

What It's Like to Get Nexplanon, the Birth Control Implant in Your Arm

What It's Like to Get Nexplanon, the Birth Control Implant in Your Arm