No, males are equally responsible for the prevention of unplanned pregnancies and STIs. Males can become involved in several ways by: Males are directly involved in using a condom and should learn how to use condoms correctly. For example, the air needs to be squeezed out of the tip of the condom to leave enough space to hold the semen.

YES, stress, trauma, any new exercise, change of diet, even a change in the seasons can affect the ovulation cycle in females of all ages. Remember, also, that the life of sperm is five to seven days. Trying to figure out the safe period of the month is called the rhythm method, it is not safe! Again yet another MYTH!

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Slight nausea, mood changes, and occasional mild weight gain are common. Consult your health care provider if these symptoms occur. Serious side effects occur infrequently, especially if you are in good health and do not smoke. If you notice severe pain in chest, head, belly, or lower leg; sudden problems with speech; dizzines; yellow skin or eyes; or breast lump, call your health care provider immediately. ^ Contraceptive FAQ | ^ Top

This depends on the user. The most effective method is one that can be used effectively. All of the hormone methods provide the highest effectiveness, these include birth control pills (including Seasonale), the Ortho Evera Patch, NuvaRing, Mirena IUC, Depo Provera (injection), and the newest Implanon (implant). But, if you can’t remember to take pills at the same time everyday, using birth control pills my not be the best option. These are good questions to talk to your clinician about.

Abstenance (no sex) is of course 100% effective against pregnancy. Now for the answer that you were looking for: Your other choices for birth control should depend on your bodies chemistry and make-up. What works well for one woman, will not work at all for others. You may have to try different methods until you find what you are comfortable with. You should check with your doctor on these choices.

No. You don't have to go to a doctor to get condoms, lubricants. You can buy a condom from almost any drug store,in many super markets or even on the Internet. For most other types of birth control, you should see your doctor.

When you first start on a new type of birth control method it can take up to three months for your body to adjust to the new hormones. During this time, you may have unpleasant side effects such as breast tenderness, headache, mild nausea and spotting. Most of these disappear within two weeks. However, the spotting may continue irregularly for the remainder of the three months. Your birth control is still working even though you are having break-through-bleeding.

It is very important that you protect yourself against unwanted pregnancy or STIs. There are many different ways to protect yourself and your needs will change throughout your life. Our clinicians are here to help you make the best choice for you at this time.

This is a series of pills that a woman takes once each day for a month. At the end of the month, she starts a new package of pills. The pills have hormones much like those a woman's body makes to control her menstrual cycle. They work by keeping the ovaries from releasing eggs or by changing the lining of the uterus or the mucus of the cervix. A method of birth control given in the form of a shot. The shot gives protection for up to 12 weeks.

No. The pill should be taken every day at the same time; associate it with something you do every day at the same time i.e. eat lunch. Some methods, such as Depo-Provera, require an appointment once every 3 months for an injection, while the condom is needed with each act of intercourse.

You will know for sure that you have experienced menopause when you have not had your period for an entire year. Until you have gone one year without a period, you should still use birth control if you do not want to become pregnant. You should continue to practice safer sex techniques with use of latex condoms to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections.

If you continued taking your birth control pill because you didn't realize you were pregnant, don't be alarmed. Despite years of this accident happening, there's very little evidence that exposure to the hormones in birth control pills causes birth defects. Still, the birth control pill is a potent estrogen.

It's possible to use standard estrogen-progestin birth control pills for emergency contraception, but check with your doctor for the proper dose and timing of the pills. There is a special type of contraceptive pill that's specifically designed to keep you from becoming pregnant if you've had unprotected vaginal intercourse.

Women often blame the birth control pill for weight gain. But studies have shown that the effect of the birth control pill on weight is small — if it exists at all. However, the way the hormones in birth control pills act on tissues in your breasts, hips and thighs can make you feel as if you've gained weight. This is usually due to fluid retention and not increased body mass or fat.

Scientific evidence suggests using birth control pills for longer periods of time increases your risk of some cancers, such as cervical cancer and liver cancer, but it also decreases your risk of other types of cancer, including ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. The effect of birth control pills on breast cancer risk isn't quite clear. However, some studies do show a link between pill use and breast cancer.

Birth control pills can affect cholesterol levels. How much of an effect depends on the type of pill you're taking and what concentration of estrogen or progestin it contains. The estrogen in birth control pills causes an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (the "good" cholesterol), a decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels (the "bad" cholesterol) and an increase in your total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Birth control pills may increase blood pressure. The risk of high blood pressure in women who take birth control pills also increases with age and the duration of use. If you take birth control pills, have your blood pressure checked regularly. If you already have high blood pressure, consider an alternative form of birth control. If you do choose to take the pill, have your blood pressure closely monitored by your doctor.

The effects of antibiotics on birth control pills may be overstated — except in the case of one antibiotic, rifampin. Studies clearly show that rifampin decreases the effectiveness of birth control pills in preventing ovulation. However, rifampin isn't a widely used antibiotic. Chances are you wouldn't be taking it unless you had tuberculosis or had tested positive for the disease.

A woman still goes through menopause even if she is taking birth control pills. But she may not know it. Menopause occurs naturally when your ovaries stop making estrogen and progesterone. Eventually your menstrual periods stop, and you can no longer become pregnant. Signs and symptoms of decreased production of estrogen and progesterone include hot flashes, sleep disturbances and vaginal dryness.

Certain antibiotics will reduce the effectiveness of the birth control pill, always tell your doctor you are taking oral contraceptives if you are prescribed medications. Also, since some antibiotics cause side effects like vomiting or diarrhea, the birth control pill may not be completely absorbed into your body, therefore the effectiveness is reduced. Always use a back up method of contraceptives (such as condom, female condoms and spermicide) when on herbal medications or antibiotics.

Yes it is an effective method when used as directed. It can be inserted up to 2 hours before intercourse, so it does not alter the mood set when ready for sex as much as other similar methods. It is also less expensive per month than the pill. This method is not for everyone. Some females do not like the preperation steps. As an HIV protection, condoms should be used with a diaphragm & spermicide when you are not with the same partner who has been tested for HIV.

Yes, very much so. They can help reduce your menstrual cramps, regulate irregular periods, and make your menstrual flow lighter. The pill is also known to decrease the risk of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cysys, breast cysts, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). They will also help with acne.

Although the incidence of contraceptive failure is low, birth control pills are less effective when combined with many types of antibiotics or St. John’s Wort herbal remedies. If you are using either of these medications while on birth control pills, you should use a back-up method of birth control during and for at least seven days after you finish your course of antibiotics.

NFP (Natural Family Planning) is different from artificial birth control in many ways: NFP is healthy. All artificial birth control methods have possible side effects, some of which can be quite serious. Natural Family Planning has no side effects, and is a healthy non-invasive choice for family planning. Some artificial methods (particularly hormonal methods [pill, patch, etc.], the IUD, and sterilization) can have long-term impacts for the future fertility of the couple.

The birth control pill usually contains 2 hormones, a synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone. These outside hormones turn off the woman's ovaries so her ovaries do not make an egg and cause the mucus of the cervix to thicken to prevent sperm from entering the uterus.

Consult your healthcare provider. Taking pills to skip all your periods is not approved by the FDA so you will need a special prescription and instructions. You can take to your healthcare provider the handout from our website on continuous birth control pill use and ask for a prescription like this sample prescription. You will need to buy more birth control pills/packages. Normally, with a period every 21 days for you need 13 pill packages for 1 year.

To date, there is no published evidence of difficulties with birth-control pills related to PXE. [March 2006]