Some women use hormonal birth control pills continuously to prevent monthly menstrual periods and eliminate premenstrual symptoms like cramping, bloating and mood swings. Using oral contraceptives continuously has several side effects. Weigh these...
Many birth control options are available for women who are breastfeeding. These include birth control pills containing progestin only, the birth control shot, barrier methods, an intrauterine device and the withdrawal method. The birth control...
The NuvaRing is a type of monthly birth control. To be able to use the NuvaRing you must consult your primary health care provider or gynecologist. They will inform you of your options and help you make an informed decision that is best for you....
Birth control pills and morning-after pills are quite similar in their ingredients and function. Both contain a form of female hormone called progesterone, or progestin in its synthetic form, according to the Mayo Clinic. Both types of pill...
The symptoms birth control method is a fertility-awareness technique. It uses a woman's basal body temperature, cervical mucus and the condition of her cervix to determine when she is most fertile so that unprotected sexual intercourse can be...
If you're a teen or an adult woman whose skin has just started to break out in acne, you probably feel pretty discouraged. However, acne represents an extremely common problem in women, affecting most teenagers and up to half of all adult women at...
Buy spermicides without a prescription at your local drugstore. They are a relatively inexpensive form of birth control and are easily available. However, the failure rate of spermicides as a birth control method is 25 to 50 percent. Use...
Buy spermicides without a prescription at your local drug store. They are a relatively inexpensive form of birth control and are easily available. The failure rate of spermicides as a birth control method is anywhere from 25 to 50 percent. Use...
A cervical cap is a form of birth control that uses the barrier method. There are a few different caps to choose from, including the Fem Cap and Lea's Shield. Both are small pieces of rubber about the size of a thimble. This cap fits like a dome...
The ability to skip a menstrual period is just one of the many benefits of birth-control pills. If your period may put a damper on an upcoming special event, a simple process can prevent your menstrual bleeding from occurring. Although this...
Birth control pills offer women a convenient and effective method of preventing pregnancy without surgery or other permanent procedures. The pill works by maintaining hormone levels in a woman's body. The American Pregnancy Association points out...
Many items may come to mind when thinking about birth control, but a calendar usually isn't one of them. However, using a calendar to identify days of the woman's menstrual cycle when she is fertile and abstaining from sexual intercourse during...
The calendar method of birth control is a natural way to track a woman's menstrual cycle to determine when sexual intercourse is most likely to lead to pregnancy. According to PlannedParenthood.org, calendar methods are also referred to as...
The rhythm method, which is usually now called natural family planning or fertility awareness-based birth control, is a simple concept. The rhythm method requires that a couple abstain from sex during the woman's fertile period--ovulation....
Of the many ways to use hormonal methods of birth control, birth control pills are the oldest and most commonly used. There are many to choose from, but most of the pills are combined sources of progestogen and estrogen and are taken daily at the...
The sponge is a small foam device that fits over your cervix to block sperm from entering. Sponges also contain a spermicide to kill any sperm that tries to get through to the cervix. If you've never had children, the sponge is about 84 percent...
A cervical cap is a form of birth control known as a barrier method. There are a few different caps to choose from, including the Fem Cap and Lea's Shield. Both are small pieces of rubber about the size of a thimble. This cap fits like a dome over...
There are several options for women who want to try natural birth control techniques. The rhythm method is one of the oldest forms of natural birth control, but also one of the least effective. The Standard Days Method, which involves a woman...
Sterilization usually provides about 99 percent reliability for preventing pregnancy, which can be of great benefit. The negative aspect of sterilization is that it's permanent unless you plan to undergo expensive and painful reversal surgery...
A male condom is the most popular form of barrier birth control, and the easiest to find. The male condom is most often made from latex, which is waterproof. The condom is placed on the erect penis prior to intercourse. It blocks ejaculated semen...
Abstinence is by far the best form of birth control that is available. If you do not engage in sexual intercourse, then you cannot get pregnant. Abstinence is a recognized form of birth control, which is defined as any act, drug or device that...
The withdrawal method of birth control involves removing the penis from the vagina just before ejaculation. This method isn't very effective in preventing pregnancy because males often forget to pull out before they orgasm or they can misjudge...
Approximately 99 percent of obstetricians and gynecologists believe that suppressing a menstrual period through the use of birth control pills is safe, according to a 2003 Gallop survey conducted by the American Congress of Obstetricians and...
The birth control patch, or Ortho Evra, is a patch that is placed onto a woman's skin once a week to prevent pregnancy. The patch is very thin and measures about two inches square. The patch releases hormones similar to the birth control pill that...
Birth control pills provide women with a reliable method of preventing pregnancy until it is desired. The pill works by delivering hormones to a woman's body to prevent the ovaries from releasing an egg to be fertilized by a man's sperm. Without...
Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, are a one-time, long-lasting, hormone-based birth control. An IUD is a T-shaped piece of plastic that either contains copper or a synthetic progesterone hormone, and is inserted inside the uterus. The IUD releases a...
When most consumers think of birth control, hormonal methods most frequently come to mind. Preventing pregnancy doesn't always require a prescription or visit to the doctor's office, though. Following birth, breast feeding moms experience a...
Scientific studies indicate that hormonal birth control doesn't directly cause weight gain, according to MayoClinic.com. Still, many women who use it do gain weight -- particularly in their hips, thighs and breasts. This could be a result of...
Uterine cancer is a major problem in women's health. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for cancer of the uterus in this video.
