What are the different types of birth control?

There are many forms of birth control. Condoms provide pregnancy and STD protection. Other methods just provide pregnancy protection. Male latex condoms and the pill are the most common.

However, there are also -spermicides (not too reliable alone, best when used as a backup method) -female condoms (not as reliable as the male condom, never use a male and female condom at the same time, it’s one or the other, not both!) -the Depo shot (very reliable, but has some really nasty side effects that many women don’t feel is worth it) -IUD (very reliable, your doctor puts it in for you, and it stays there for years) -diaphragm (can be difficult to use and increases your chances of getting an infection) -natural family planning (not too reliable, I would not recommend this one to be used alone) -the pull out method (also not reliable, not recommended to be used alone) to name a few.

Some methods are hormonal, like the pill. So that means people don’t wear them like they would wear a condom.

Any sexually active couple could potentially use any of these methods. The woman has to talk to her ob-gyn first though to make sure the method she is interested in is safe for her From there, it just depends on preferences.

When you become sexually active, you can go to your ob-gyn and talk about all of your options. If you have a good ob-gyn, then she will sit down with you and explain all of your options to you.