• It'south important to discuss your birth control options with your doc to observe the right fit for you.
  • Prior to an appointment, call back of what questions and concerns you have about birth command.
  • Conditions like factor V and chronic migraines may affect what kind of birth control you can take.

Before deciding on a nascence command method, it's crucial to have all the data you need to know and so yous can make the all-time decision for yourself.

Therefore, you should consider scheduling an appointment with a medical professional person to discuss various nascence command options and assist you narrow downwardly which one meets your needs.

"Patients deserve to have the information they need and the partnership with their clinician to really brand these important health decisions," says Nancy Stanwood, Md, FACOG, FSFP, MPH, section chief of family unit planning at Yale Schoolhouse of Medicine.

"If, in the end, you feel like the person you were talking to isn't hearing your concerns, then you should encounter if you can notice another clinician to talk to," Stanwood says.

Hither'south how to get birth control, what to expect at a nativity command engagement, the questions you can inquire, and the different types of birth control available to y'all.

What should you inquiry before your appointment?

When choosing birth control, consider the ease of use, availability, side effects, and potential risks.

Hormonal contraceptives, which incorporate estrogen and progestin hormones to thicken the cervical mucus and forestall ovulation, bear on the menstrual cycle and cause varied side effects, then some people prefer non-hormonal contraceptives instead.

It'southward necessary to assess and compare the different types of birth command bachelor, such as: hormonal birth control, IUDs, implants, the patch, and the shot.

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"Some of the options may result in irregular bleeding or no menses. If the person does not look this, there is a higher risk of them wanting to modify their birth control or not be compliant," says Shefali Pathy, MD, MPH, site director of Cornell Scott Hill Wellness Center, Women'due south Health.

Some people as well tend to switch methods due to concerns about contraceptive effectiveness and potential wellness risks.

"Birth control is non a one-size-fits-all and sometimes people will commencement a method and feel similar it just doesn't fit ... for whatever reason," says Stanwood. "There are always more options. I wouldn't want patients to feel like they demand to give up."

What should yous expect at an engagement?

To talk most getting a birth control prescription, ordinarily you'd brand an appointment with an OB-GYN, merely you lot can likewise see a family medicine provider or a certified midwife.

Community health centers, family planning clinics, and Planned Parenthood can also discuss and prescribe diverse nascency control options, says Pathy.

Medical appointments for contraceptive care tin can vary, simply they generally involve the following:

Preparing for your appointment

"A person does not necessarily need to research annihilation, but should be able to identify their goals for using birth control," says Pathy. "Additionally, they should come up to the appointment knowing some of their medical history, equally this could bear upon the blazon of birth control that would be offered."

If you have a particularly extensive medical history (if yous take undergone a transplant or have cardiac history), it might be helpful to bring a summary document, but for most people, there's no need to bring whatever documents to begin the conversation about nascency control, says Stanwood.

For people who take Factor V Leiden, a genetic disorder that makes them more likely to develop abnormal blood clotting, taking oral contraceptives can increase their gamble for deep vein thrombosis.

Even so, clinicians will assess risks and discuss options for further testing at the time of visit, and then unless you lot accept a family history of Factor Five Leiden, blood tests aren't necessary before your date.

Checking your vitals and medical history

Afterwards taking your vitals, the clinician will enquire about your period, sexual practice, and past pregnancies, besides equally your medical, surgical, and family histories.

"Commonly a physical exam is not performed, unless there is another patient business organisation such equally vaginal discharge, need for a Pap smear, or other testing," says Pathy.

You don't demand to have a pelvic exam before getting a nascence control prescription unless you determine to get an intrauterine device (IUD) inserted in your uterus, says Stanwood.

There are medical atmospheric condition that can bear upon what type of nascency command are appropriate or safe for you. For example, combined oral contraceptive pills are not recommended for people with:

  • A history of migraines with aura
  • High blood pressure level
  • People over the age of 35 who fume
  • Those with a previous history of blood clots

You tin learn more nigh the health risks of birth control by consulting Centers for Disease Command and Prevention's (CDC) nautical chart for Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Utilise.

Discussing your birth control options

Your healthcare provider volition discuss the different birth control methods and their benefits, disadvantages, and side effects to help you make an informed choice.

It's of import for an private to talk about what they're looking for and what their concerns are, says Stanwood. While some people opt for the methods with the everyman take a chance of pregnancy possible (like the IUD or arm implant), others may prefer a contraceptive that they can discontinue by themselves for whatever reason (similar the pill).

Don't hesitate to enquire any questions and speak up well-nigh your needs. Your healthcare provider should explain the risks, side effects, and alternatives of each birth control option bachelor.

Getting the prescription

Methods that require a prescription (like the nativity control pill, hormonal patch, or vaginal ring) are more often than not prescribed by the clinician during the appointment and y'all'll be given instructions on when and how to begin taking them. Yous'll also know when the method will kickoff protecting you from pregnancy.

"If the method is the injection, it is generally given that twenty-four hours. In some practices, such as my own, if the person wants the arm implant or i of the IUDs, nosotros commonly offer insertion that 24-hour interval. The only method that would demand a follow upward appointment would be the injection for the next dose in 12 to 15 weeks," says Stanwood.

While this is truthful of Stanwood'south practice, it may not be true of your OB-GYN'southward, so make certain to inquire about how and when they administer IUDs and injections.

Insider'due south takeaway

Scheduling a birth command engagement volition help y'all assess your options and effigy out which works best for you. There's no need to bring any documents or undergo blood screening before going to your engagement.

There are plenty of benefits to birth control that become beyond preventing pregnancy, like menstruation regulation that helps manage painful flow (or dysmenorrhea), heavy vaginal haemorrhage (or menorrhagia), and endometriosis, says Pathy. Other benefits include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) therapy and a reduced risk of ovarian cancer.

It'southward crucial to ask questions almost the efficacy, side effects, potential risks, and ease of utilise of different birth control methods so you'll know what to wait. Make sure to inform the clinician of whatsoever medical weather that yous have equally information technology can bear upon the type of birth control they'll prescribe.

"If you feel the detail birth control options are not working for yous, information technology is best to reach out to your doctor sooner than later," says Pathy. "The doctor-patient relationship needs to work in both directions to exist effective. I encourage people to attain out for alternating advice if they feel they are not receiving the data or care they need."

  • What anybody should know about nascency command, from the types to effectiveness
  • How to alter the time you take your nativity control
  • Hormonal nascency control isn't likely to cause depression
  • How to get hormonal nativity command online without a doctor's visit
  • What to expect after IUD removal: From prep to recovery

Carla Delgado

Freelance Reporter, Insider Reviews

Carla is a Filipino freelance health & culture announcer with bylines in Insider, Architectural Digest, Elemental, Observer, and Mental Floss. Outside of writing, she works for local theatre productions as a stage director and banana audio operator. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.