Natural family planning, barriers, hormonal methods, copper IUDs, and permanent sterilization have varying degrees of effectiveness. Family planning involves tracking fertility cycles and sexual ...

While you may hope you never need it, it’s important to know about backup birth control-- what your choices are, which type works best, and when to use it. Even the most careful couples can make a ...

A birth control implant is a long-term and highly effective form of hormonal birth control. The implanted device slowly releases progestin, a synthetic version of the hormone your body releases during ...

Most birth control methods require a prescription. If you plan to use a form of birth control other than condoms, you'll need to see a doctor. During your appointment, you have a few things to discuss ...

Chewable birth control works in a similar way to traditional birth control pills. However, a person chews these pills rather than swallowing them whole with water, making them easier to take. Chewable ...

People can buy over-the-counter birth control without a prescription from drugstores, online retailers, or telehealth companies. Some options protect against STIs, and others can provide 24-hour ...

Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker, and researcher with more than 20 years of experience in consumer-facing health and wellness content. GLP-1 receptor drugs, like Mounjaro, may hinder the ...

The birth control pill is one of the most common forms of contraception in the U.S. But in recent years, claims of side effects of the pill have filled social media platforms, often fueled by ...

LA Times Studios may earn commission from purchases made through our links. Hormonal birth control has always been the norm for many but as personalized wellness grows, researchers and clinicians have ...

There's a battle being waged across the country between people who see birth control as essential for women's health, self-determination and to avoid abortions ‒ and those who claim some forms of ...

In her decade of using contraception, Erin has tried and tried again: combination pills, the minipill, the ring. “I’ve used six options over 10 years,” she says. After originally starting the Pill at ...

When hormonal contraceptive pills hit the market in the 1960s, it revolutionized women’s control over their own bodies. For men, successful reproduction begins with the right cocktail of hormones, ...