There is no right or wrong choice when you are determining how to pick a birth control method. When weighing your options, what matters most is finding the appropriate choice for you and your lifestyle. It’s crucial to find the birth control method that best fits your own personal needs. With so many choices, it’s fairly common for this decision to seem a bit overwhelming for certain women. That’s why we’ve come up with some of the most important factors to consider when choosing a birth control method.
Here at Gynecology Associates of Gwinnett, we currently offer eight different kinds of birth control and we will continue to add new ones as they become available. These birth control methods range from barriers like diaphragms to longer-term solutions like intrauterine devices or birth control pills. These methods are in addition to long-term birth control solutions including tubal litigation procedures. Each option has its own pros and cons. The important part is selecting which one makes sense for you, when factoring in your lifestyle, budget, medical history and plans to become pregnant sometime in the future.
Before making any decisions, you should consult with your board-certified gynecologist about which birth control method makes the most sense for you. During your consultation, we recommend asking the following questions to help narrow down your choices:
- How readily available is each birth control method?
- Which birth control methods should I avoid if I plan to become pregnant in the future?
- How effective is each birth control method?
- How should pre-existing health conditions like heart disease or diabetes factor into my choice?
- How expensive is each birth control method?
- Will this particular birth control method help protect me from potential sexually-transmitted diseases?
- How convenient or easy to use is each birth control method?
- What are the side effects associated with each birth control method?
- What age do I have to be to begin taking birth control?
Keep in mind, once you have made your choice, it doesn’t necessarily have to be final. As a woman ages and her lifestyle changes, she may need or want to change her birth control method. So do your research, consult with your board-certified gynecologist and select the birth control method that makes sense for your current situation. If you need more information on birth control, please contact Dr. Kristine Gould at Gynecology Associates of Gwinnett today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for more news and updates.
