Family Planning, Pregnancy, and Contraception

Deciding whether or not pregnancy is right for you is a big decision. Being pregnant, having a baby, and raising a baby are life-changing decisions! With birth control, you have the ability to decide for yourself when, if ever, is a good time to be pregnant. 

No. Many people who are not having sex are on birth control for different reasons. Some people like to be prepared in case they start having sex, some people take birth control for medical reasons like acne, regulating their period, just to name a few reasons.

This is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy. It works 100% of the time. 

This is a very small, very skinny piece of plastic the size of a tiny matchstick that goes into your arm. It takes about 15 minutes for a medical provider to insert this into your arm. The implant lasts for 3 years and it works 99.9% of the time. It uses hormones to prevent pregnancy. Most people will be able to feel the implant in their arm even though it is very small – lots of people like this because they can feel that their birth control is working! It does not cause weight gain or make acne worse.  Once it is removed, It does not affect your ability to have kids in the future.

This stands for intrauterine device. It is a very small, very skinny piece of plastic that looks like a tiny letter ‘T’. It goes inside the uterus. It takes about 15 minutes for a doctor to insert into your uterus. It works 99% of the time. There are some kinds with hormones and one kind without hormones. This can last from 3 years all the way up to 10 years inside your uterus, but it can be removed at any time. It does not affect your ability to have kids in the future. It does not cause weight gain or make acne worse.

You may hear this referred to as Depo or Depo-Provera. This is a hormone shot that is given every 3 months. It is very effective and works 96% of the time. 

Each of these options will deliver hormones to your body that stop the ovaries from releasing eggs. If you take them perfectly they work 99% of the time, but many people are unable to take them perfectly and so they only work 91% of the time. The option that you choose will depend on your specific situation. See more below: 

There are 2 types of condoms, the “external” condom (that goes onto the penis) and the “internal” condom (which gets inserted into the vagina). Since condoms are a barrier that prevent genitals from touching, it can prevent both pregnancy and STIs. Both condoms are effective at preventing pregnancy when used perfectly (95-98%), but since many people do not use them perfectly the true effectiveness is only 79-82%. 

Because this method of birth control requires surgery and is permanent we usually do not recommend it for young people (since they may change their mind in the future). This is effective >99% of the time.

‘Pulling out’ aka withdrawal will fail 1 every 5 times. This method is entirely dependent on the person with the penis having the control to pull out in time. If you really don’t want to get pregnant then we recommend using another method. 

This helps to prevent pregnancy without having to use any drugs or devices. It’s not super effective (it works between 75 and 88% of the time) so if you really don’t want to be pregnant you may want to consider an option that works better. To learn more about natural family planning click here.

Don’t panic! If you want to prevent pregnancy please call our office to speak with one of our providers who can talk you through your options. 

Take a deep breath. If this pregnancy is something you wanted, congratulations! If it’s something that you didn’t want or something you’re not sure about, that’s totally okay too. You have options. Make an appointment with your provider or a Planned Parenthood, and visit this website for more information: I’m Pregnant, Now What? | Pregnancy Options For Teens.

This is a pill you can take if you have had unprotected sex, or you think you had unprotected sex, and you don’t want to get pregnant. You can get it at your doctor’s office, or you can have your doctor prescribe it to you ahead of time so that you have it as a backup just in case you need it. You shouldn’t use it as regular birth control though, because it is supposed to be in case of emergency. See Types of Birth Control for ways to prevent pregnancy ahead of time.

No. Plan B aka the morning after pill aka emergency contraception stops pregnancy from ever happening. The abortion pill is something that can stop a pregnancy in the very early stages, after someone is already pregnant.

Plan B aka the morning-after pill can be used up to 5 days after unprotected sex. The sooner you take it after the unprotected sex, though, the better it works. Though it is called the morning-after pill, it can be taken at any time of the day.

This is a pill that you can take up to 5 days after having unprotected sex, and unlike other methods, it’s equally effective whether you take it day 1 after unprotected sex or day 5 after unprotected sex. It is not an abortion pill. This pill cannot be bought over-the-counter, so if you need this, contact your provider.

This is a pill that you can take up to 5 days after having unprotected sex. Unlike Ella, the longer you wait, the less effective it is (for example, on day 5 after unprotected sex it is less effective than day 1 after unprotected sex). It is not an abortion pill. You can buy this pill over-the-counter and it will usually cost between $40-$60. If you get it prescribed through your doctor’s office, it is much less expensive or even free.

This is an IUD (which stands for intrauterine device) without hormones that can be inserted into the uterus up to 5 days after unprotected sex. This is 99.9% effective. It involves a 15-minute insertion procedure. This also works as a long-term birth control option and can stay inside the uterus for up to 10-12 years, though it can be removed at any time.

This is known as the “Yuzpe method”, which means using the birth control pills you might already have as emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy after you had unprotected sex. While this is not ideal, if you don’t have access to Ella, Plan B, or a Copper IUD and you do have birth control pills at home, this method is reasonable. This is a guide on how many pills you should take at what time:

Pregnancy happens when a sperm cell (found in semen aka ejaculate aka cum) meets an egg cell (aka ovary). If someone with a penis has vaginal sex with someone with a uterus, it is possible to become pregnant. Penis-in-vagina sex is the only way that pregnancy can happen. Pregnancy cannot happen with oral sex or anal sex. 

No.

No.

Yes.

Yes. Being surrounded by water does not prevent sperm from meeting an egg. 

rapper. You should feel a little cushion of air. If you don’t feel the cushion of air, that means there is a leak somewhere in the wrapper. Next, hold the wrapper between your fingers and slip-slide the condom between your fingers to check that there is still lube inside. If the condom slip-slides easily, that means the lube hasn’t dried up. If the wrapper of the condom is damaged, there is a good chance that the condom inside is damaged too!

No (99.9999% of the time). If a basketball can fit inside a condom, a penis can fit inside a condom. Watch this video to see why!

No. All sexual positions can result in pregnancy when you are having penis-in-vagina sex.

No.

It’s extremely unlikely. If there is fresh semen (or ‘cum’) on the sex toy and the toy is inserted into the vagina, then it is possible. That is the only scenario when a sex toy can cause pregnancy.

If you notice that the condom was broken after sex, and you are worried about pregnancy, Plan B is a reasonable option. Contact us. 

No. Only one condom should ever be used at a time. Even though it might seem like more is better, the friction from two condoms actually makes the condoms less effective.