Birth Control

What is birth control?

Birth control or contraception enables you to control your fertility, so you only conceive when you're ready to have a baby.

Whether you're hoping to include a baby in your near future or you want to make sure you don't conceive unexpectedly, your provider at Providence Women's Healthcare makes sure you understand all your options.

Many forms of birth control use hormonal methods to prevent conception, but there are also non-hormonal and barrier methods for women who are unable or prefer not to take hormones. Fertility awareness – knowing when you're ovulating and at your most fertile – can also help you manage conception.

How does hormonal birth control work?

During your childbearing years, from puberty to menopause, your ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone to regulate your reproductive cycle.

Hormonal birth control works by changing the levels of these hormones, which prevents ovulation and thins your endometrium (the lining of your uterus). It also thickens your cervical mucus, so your partner's sperm struggles to get to your uterus.

Providence Women's Healthcare provides a range of hormonal birth control options, including:

Birth control pills

Combined birth control pills contain estrogen and progesterone. There are also progesterone-only pills that may be more suitable if you're at risk of developing blood clots.

Injections and implants

Contraceptive injections contain progesterone and typically last for three months. Implants like Nexplanon® are tiny plastic tubes that your Providence Women's Healthcare provider injects into your arm. They release hormones into your body over a three-year period.

Patches and vaginal rings

Hormone patches stick to your arm, gradually releasing hormones into your skin. A vaginal ring is a flexible piece of plastic that you insert into your vagina. Each ring lasts for three weeks, and then you remove it, wait a week, and insert a new ring.

Intrauterine devices (IUDs)

Hormonal IUDs offer long-term birth control that's still fully reversible. They usually stay in your uterus for three to five years before needing replacement.

What are the non-hormonal forms of birth control?

Barrier methods of birth control prevent conception by blocking the sperm's path to your uterus. Examples include condoms (male and female), sponges, and caps or diaphragms. They work best with a spermicide that kills any stray sperm. Condoms are also the only birth control method that helps prevent sexually transmitted diseases.

The longest-lasting reversible birth control method is the copper IUD, which kills sperm when they enter your uterus. Copper IUDs can last for as long as 10 years.

Providence Women's Healthcare offers permanent sterilization if you're certain that you don't want children or your family is complete. The procedure (tubal ligation) involves blocking or sealing your fallopian tubes so sperm can't reach your eggs.

Choosing the birth control that suits your needs is easy with help from Providence Women's Healthcare. Arrange your contraceptive appointment by calling the nearest office today or booking an appointment online.