Birth Control Specialist

What type of birth control works best?

Your needs determine what type of birth control works best for you. When taken correctly, most birth control options are effective. At Logan OB/GYN, a variety of birth control options are available. These include traditional birth control pills, which have a failure rate as low as 1% when taken correctly, as well as:

• The patch and the ring
• Hormone shots
• IUDs, including MirenaⓇ
• Hormone implants
• Permanent options, including EssureⓇ

Dr. Ahlstrom and Marybeth discuss your lifestyle and contraceptive needs to help you decide what birth control options are right for you. If you’re looking for temporary birth control and want to get pregnant within the next five years, the team at Logan OB/GYN may suggest hormonal options like the pill, patch, or ring.

If you’ve already had children and aren’t looking to get pregnant in the next five years, Dr. Ahlstrom may recommend a more long-term solution. Those can include IUDs like Mirena, which also provide hormonal birth control.

If you’ve decided not to have any more children, the most effective birth control method may be a permanent option. Those can include a vasectomy for men or tubal ligation for women. Dr. Ahlstrom and Marybeth offer patients Essure, which is a permanent non-hormonal birth control that’s over 99% effective.

How does birth control work?

When you take hormonal birth control, whether it’s a pill or an implant, it works by releasing synthetic hormones that stop ovulation. When you don’t ovulate, an egg isn’t released and can’t become fertilized. That's also how the ring, the patch, and the shot work.

Barrier methods of contraception, which include male and female condoms and diaphragms, work by preventing the sperm from reaching the egg. Other forms of birth control, such as IUDs, work by making the uterus an inhospitable place and releasing chemicals to stop sperm from reaching the egg.

When does birth control start working?

If you’re just starting birth control pills, it’s important to use a backup method of contraception for the first seven days, as it takes that long for the pill to become effective. That holds true for all hormonal birth control options, including the ring, patch, and shot. If you’re using a hormonal IUD, like Mirena, you should also use an alternative birth control for a week.

If you’re using Essure, a permanent birth control procedure that involves placing a soft, flexible insert in your fallopian tubes, you must take further precautions. Essure isn’t effective for the first three months after placement, and you must use another form of contraception during that time.

If you want to know more about your birth control options, contact Dr. Ahlstrom and his team at Logan OB/GYN today. Call the office to schedule your appointment or book online.