What Are My Birth Control Options?

You know you want birth control that’s easy to use and works well. Are you aware of all the birth control options that are available these days? There’s one that will work well for you and your lifestyle, and we can help you find it!

Dr. Daniel S. Kushner is a highly skilled OB/GYN with a medical practice serving the areas around White Plains and Queens, New York. Along with his friendly and experienced staff, Dr. Kushner provides a full range of services that support you being healthy and feeling great no matter what stage of life you’re in.

What are my birth control options?

Years ago, the only effective ways to prevent pregnancy were condoms and the rhythm method. Advances in reproductive research have created a number of birth control options that give you a lot of choices for helping you plan when, or if, you want to become pregnant.

Pill

Many people are familiar with the birth control pill, which provides small doses of hormones that interrupt your usual ovulation cycle, inhibiting pregnancy. You need to take a pill every day, at the same time of day. There are many different types of birth control pills with different levels of hormones, and Dr. Kushner helps you find the one that’s right for your body. 

Patches or shots

The birth control patch works similarly to pills, but in a different form that doesn’t require you to remember to take a pill every day. Each month, you apply a patch to your skin that remains there for the first three weeks of your menstrual cycle, and you remove it during the week you are menstruating. The patch contains hormones that move through your skin and into your bloodstream, preventing ovulation and pregnancy.

Similarly, a birth control shot is a hormone injection that prevents ovulation. You get a new shot every three months. 

IUD

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are a type of long-acting birth control that can last for many years. Dr. Kushner inserts the IUD — a tiny T shaped device that is either made from copper or plastic — into your uterus.

Some types release hormones that prevent pregnancy. A copper IUD doesn’t release hormones, but instead affects the movement of sperm, preventing it from fertilizing an egg. 

Ring

You insert a vaginal ring — a small ring made of flexible plastic — into your vagina, and it releases hormones that prevent pregnancy. Unlike an IUD that’s inserted by your doctor, you insert a ring yourself, wearing it for the first three weeks of your menstrual cycle and then removing it while you are menstruating. You use a new ring each month.

Surgery

A more invasive and permanent birth control option is surgery. For women, this is most commonly done as a tubal ligation, often referred to as “having your tubes tied.” In this procedure, the fallopian tubes that connect your ovaries to your uterus are blocked off, making pregnancy no longer possible.

Physical barriers

Although most people are familiar with condoms, there are a number of other physical barrier methods of birth control. There include female condoms, diaphragms, sponges, and cervical caps. Each of these must be used correctly every single time you have sex in order to be effective.

Which one is right for me?

Dr. Kushner understands that sorting through the many birth control options can be confusing and overwhelming. During your appointment, he gets to know you and understand your lifestyle, values, and needs so he can recommend a birth control option that he thinks will work best for you. 

To learn more about birth control, or if you have other women’s health concerns, call the office nearest to you, or use our online booking system to set up an appointment.