As your life changes, your birth control method may need to change, as well. You want your birth control to fit your lifestyle, reproductive health care needs, and safe sex requirements, which can all shift over time.
Board-certified OB/GYN Dr. Mary Grace Bridges and the team at Women’s Health Partners of the Permian Basin, located in Odessa, Texas, guide you in finding the best birth control plan for you and help you navigate life transitions with seamless protection and comfort. In this blog, we look at some of the most common reasons why your birth control may stop being a good fit, and how you can respond proactively to the need for adjustment.
All types of birth control help you prevent unwanted pregnancy, but only some types of birth control protect against STIs (sexually transmitted infections).
If you’re in a monogamous sexual relationship, and you know for sure that neither you nor your partner has an STI, you may not need additional safer sex protection from your birth control. Hormonal birth control pills, birth control rings or patches, or an IUD (intrauterine device) all prevent pregnancy, but don’t provide STI protection.
But if changes in your life mean that you’re meeting new sexual partners, or if you or your partner are having sex with multiple partners, STI protection comes back into the picture. Barrier methods like condoms and dental dams keep you from contracting an STI, and condoms, when used correctly, are also highly effective at preventing pregnancy.
Your body may react better to some types of birth control and may react poorly to others. If you have a latex allergy, you’ll need hypoallergenic condom alternatives, and you may want to explore other alternatives to barrier methods, for example.
Some women also report unwanted side effects from hormonal birth control, such as depressed mood, reduced libido, or weight gain. You may be able to switch to a lower-dose hormonal birth control option that could work better for you, or you might want to consider nonhormonal birth control like a copper IUD.
Your privacy matters, and can become a matter of personal safety, as well. If your birth control method needs to be discreet or private, a birth control patch could be too visible. Condoms and birth control pills could be taken away, deliberately used improperly, or even tampered with.
Approaches like an IUD or long-lasting birth control shot ensure that you’re in control of your reproductive health. These options aren’t visible to others or vulnerable to any outside tampering.
When it comes to birth control methods, you may value convenience or flexibility more highly at different times in your life.
Some types of birth control, known as long-acting contraceptives (LARCs), offer set-it-and-forget-it ease of use. Once your IUD is in place, you don’t have to think about preventing pregnancy daily. The birth control shot is another example of a highly effective LARC.
On the other hand, if you might want to cease birth control use and become pregnant sometime in the near future, you may value flexibility more highly. IUDs and barrier methods offer a lot of flexibility, while hormonal birth control use may mean waiting for a cycle or two for your body to return to its baseline before trying to conceive.
For confidential, compassionate guidance on finding the right type of birth control for you, contact Dr. Bridges at Women's Health Partners of the Permian Basin online or over the phone now.
