If you’re looking for birth control in Dothan, AL, the team at Women’s Medical Center can help you choose the best option.

How to Choose a Birth Control Method

There are plenty of options available for birth control in Dothan, AL, which is both a good and bad thing. It’s good as there is something for everyone, but it can make choosing the right option more challenging.

Know Your Options

In order to make the best decision, you’ll need to start by understanding your options. The following are the most common.

• Pill: The Pill is highly effective for many people. However, it has to be taken consistently to be truly effective.
• Shot: The shot stops ovulation in its tracks. However, you have to keep to the schedule, which is typically every three months.
• IUD: The IUD is a T-shaped instrument inserted into the uterus and blocks the sperm from reaching the egg. They’re highly effective and only need to be changed every five to ten years.
• Implant: An implant is a small rod that releases hormones to prevent pregnancy. It’s typically placed in the upper arm and is effective for three years.
• Patch: This is a small, thin patch placed on the skin that releases hormones to prevent pregnancy. It needs to be changed weekly.
• Ring: With this method, you insert the ring into your vagina and wear it for 21 days. For it to be effective, it has to be inserted between the first and fifth days of your period.
• Surgery: A more permanent method of birth control is to have your fallopian tubes tied, sealed, cut, or clamped.

Know Your Goals

Babies are wonderful, but not everyone wants to have them. If you don’t want to have children, consider surgery. However, this isn’t the choice to make if there’s a chance you might change your mind someday.

Answer These Questions 

Do You Remember to Take Medications?

If daily medications slip your mind often, the Pill is probably not the best choice. You have to take it consistently for it to be effective. If you can’t do this, choose another option like an implant that requires no effort from you until it’s time for a new one.

Do Needles or Self-Insertion Bother You?

If you don’t like needles, you’ll want to avoid the birth control shot. And if the idea of inserting birth control yourself disgusts you or you’re worried about doing it right, the ring probably isn’t the answer you’re looking for.

You don’t have to make this decision alone. Let the experts at Women’s Medical Center help you choose the best birth control method in Dothan, AL by calling (334) 793-3900.