Find Your Method

The intrauterine device (IUD) is a small, T-shaped piece of plastic that you can have a health care provider put inside your uterus. The IUD makes it harder for sperm to move efficiently, preventing it from fertilizing an egg. In the U.S., there are five brands of IUDs available: Kyleena, LILETTA, Mirena, Paragard, and Skyla.

The implant (Nexplanon and its generic versions) is a small rod, about the size of a matchstick, that’s inserted under the skin of your upper arm (after you get numbing medication!). Once it’s inserted, it’s not visible in most cases.

The implant slowly releases a single hormone, progestin, that prevents pregnancy primarily by thickening cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm and egg to meet. It’s FDA-approved to prevent pregnancy for up to three years, but research shows it’s effective for up to five years. You can always get it removed sooner if you want to.

The shot is just what it sounds like—a shot that keeps you from getting pregnant. Once you get it, your birth control is covered for three full months—there’s nothing else you have to do. Some people call the shot “Depo,” short for Depo-Provera. (Pronounced like Johnny Depp-oh.) The shot contains progestin, a hormone that prevents your ovaries from releasing eggs. It also thickens your cervical mucus, which helps block sperm from getting to the egg in the first place. Worth considering even if you’re afraid of needles… Because what’s a little prick compared to a pregnancy?

The birth control ring (brand names: Annovera and NuvaRing) is a small, bendable plastic ring that you insert into your vagina. You leave it in place for three weeks at a time, then take it out for the fourth week. The main way the ring works is by giving off hormones that prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs.

There are two types of birth control rings, one that you can use over and over for up to a year (Annovera) and one type that is replaced monthly (NuvaRing or its generic versions).

The patch is a thin, beige piece of plastic that looks like a Band-Aid. All of the patch options are little less than two inches across, two are square and one is round, and all of them come in one—and only one—color. (Beige.) You stick the patch on your skin and it gives off hormones that prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs. The hormones also thicken your cervical mucus, which helps to block sperm from getting to the egg in the first place.

The birth control pill, also called “the pill” or “oral contraception” is a pill you take once a day to prevent pregnancy. There are lots of different brands of pills on the market, and new ones come out often. Most work by using hormones that keep your ovaries from releasing eggs.

The diaphragm is a small, flexible cup made of silicone that you insert into your vagina, along with spermicide, before penis-in-vagina sex. The diaphragm covers your cervix, preventing sperm from entering your uterus and fertilizing an egg. The spermicide you use with it makes sperm less able to move.

Rubber. Jimmy-hat. Love sock. Wrapper. However you say it, condoms are one of the most popular forms of birth control out there. They slip over the penis to prevent pregnancy and lower the risk of STIs by keeping sperm inside the condom and out of the vagina. (There are also internal condoms that go inside the vagina.) Condoms come in hundreds of shapes and sizes, with lube and without.

The internal condom (sold under the brand name FC2) is a pouch that feels and works a lot like an external condom. Internal condoms are a type of barrier method of birth control, which means that they prevent pregnancy by physically blocking sperm from getting to eggs.

A cervical cap is a silicone cup you insert in your vagina to cover your cervix and keep sperm out of your uterus. The “cap” part of the name is pretty dead on—the thing looks like a little rubber sailor’s hat, maybe an inch and a half wide and one inch high. There’s only one brand of cervical cap available in the U.S. today, and it’s jauntily named the FemCap. One super important thing to remember: You need to use a cervical cap with spermicide for it to be most effective.

Fertility awareness-based methods—or natural family planning—are all about tracking your menstrual cycle to determine the days that you can get pregnant. The tricky part is actually knowing when those days are. To do that, you’ll need to pay very close attention to your body and its patterns. Here we list all the different ways you can monitor your day-to-day fertility.

The sponge is a round piece of white plastic foam with a little dimple on one side and a nylon loop across the top that looks like shoelace material. It’s pretty small—just two inches across—and you insert it way up in your vagina before you have sex. The sponge works in two ways: It blocks your cervix to keep sperm from getting into your uterus, and it continuously releases spermicide. Think of it like a bouncer at the nightclub door to your uterus.

“Spermicide” describes a bunch of different creams, films, foams, gels, and suppositories that you insert deep into your vagina before sex to prevent pregnancy. On its own, spermicide provides some pregnancy prevention, but pairing it with another method is way more effective. Some condoms come coated in spermicide, or you can use a separate spermicide along with a condom.

Withdrawal, also called the “pull-out method,” is one of the oldest forms of birth control on the planet. Withdrawal is when, during penis-in-vagina sex, the person with the penis pulls their penis out of their partner’s vagina before they ejaculate (cum). They can then ejaculate outside of the vagina if they like, but it’s important not to ejaculate on the vulva (the parts on the outside, which include the labia and the clitoris), as that can also lead to pregnancy.

Sterilization is a procedure that closes or blocks your fallopian tubes so you can’t get pregnant. (Your tubes are where eggs and sperm meet. If they can’t meet, they can’t hook up.) Guys also have a sterilization option—a vasectomy blocks the tubes that carry a man’s sperm. It’s even safer and more effective than female sterilization. Talk to a health care provider to learn more and be sure to ask about state and federal requirements, like age restrictions and waiting periods.

“Not right now” as a method for pregnancy prevention means not having penis-in-vagina sex. That means no sex where your partner’s penis goes into your vagina, and no other sexual activities that involve your partner’s semen (the whitish fluid that comes out of their penis when they ejaculate) getting on your vulva.

Emergency contraception (EC) (sometimes called the “morning after pill”) can stop a pregnancy before it starts by delaying ovulation. There are three different kinds of EC: an over-the-counter pill, a prescription-only pill (called ella), and certain IUDs.

The intrauterine device (IUD) is a small, T-shaped piece of plastic that you can have a health care provider put inside your uterus. The IUD makes it harder for sperm to move efficiently, preventing it from fertilizing an egg. In the U.S., there are five brands of IUDs available: Kyleena, LILETTA, Mirena, Paragard, and Skyla.

The implant (Nexplanon and its generic versions) is a small rod, about the size of a matchstick, that’s inserted under the skin of your upper arm (after you get numbing medication!). Once it’s inserted, it’s not visible in most cases.

The implant slowly releases a single hormone, progestin, that prevents pregnancy primarily by thickening cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm and egg to meet. It’s FDA-approved to prevent pregnancy for up to three years, but research shows it’s effective for up to five years. You can always get it removed sooner if you want to.

Sterilization is a procedure that closes or blocks your fallopian tubes so you can’t get pregnant. (Your tubes are where eggs and sperm meet. If they can’t meet, they can’t hook up.) Guys also have a sterilization option—a vasectomy blocks the tubes that carry a man’s sperm. It’s even safer and more effective than female sterilization. Talk to a health care provider to learn more and be sure to ask about state and federal requirements, like age restrictions and waiting periods.

“Not right now” as a method for pregnancy prevention means not having penis-in-vagina sex. That means no sex where your partner’s penis goes into your vagina, and no other sexual activities that involve your partner’s semen (the whitish fluid that comes out of their penis when they ejaculate) getting on your vulva.

Rubber. Jimmy-hat. Love sock. Wrapper. However you say it, condoms are one of the most popular forms of birth control out there. They slip over the penis to prevent pregnancy and lower the risk of STIs by keeping sperm inside the condom and out of the vagina. (There are also internal condoms that go inside the vagina.) Condoms come in hundreds of shapes and sizes, with lube and without.

The internal condom (sold under the brand name FC2) is a pouch that feels and works a lot like an external condom. Internal condoms are a type of barrier method of birth control, which means that they prevent pregnancy by physically blocking sperm from getting to eggs.

“Not right now” as a method for pregnancy prevention means not having penis-in-vagina sex. That means no sex where your partner’s penis goes into your vagina, and no other sexual activities that involve your partner’s semen (the whitish fluid that comes out of their penis when they ejaculate) getting on your vulva.

The intrauterine device (IUD) is a small, T-shaped piece of plastic that you can have a health care provider put inside your uterus. The IUD makes it harder for sperm to move efficiently, preventing it from fertilizing an egg. In the U.S., there are five brands of IUDs available: Kyleena, LILETTA, Mirena, Paragard, and Skyla.

The diaphragm is a small, flexible cup made of silicone that you insert into your vagina, along with spermicide, before penis-in-vagina sex. The diaphragm covers your cervix, preventing sperm from entering your uterus and fertilizing an egg. The spermicide you use with it makes sperm less able to move.

Rubber. Jimmy-hat. Love sock. Wrapper. However you say it, condoms are one of the most popular forms of birth control out there. They slip over the penis to prevent pregnancy and lower the risk of STIs by keeping sperm inside the condom and out of the vagina. (There are also internal condoms that go inside the vagina.) Condoms come in hundreds of shapes and sizes, with lube and without.

The internal condom (sold under the brand name FC2) is a pouch that feels and works a lot like an external condom. Internal condoms are a type of barrier method of birth control, which means that they prevent pregnancy by physically blocking sperm from getting to eggs.

A cervical cap is a silicone cup you insert in your vagina to cover your cervix and keep sperm out of your uterus. The “cap” part of the name is pretty dead on—the thing looks like a little rubber sailor’s hat, maybe an inch and a half wide and one inch high. There’s only one brand of cervical cap available in the U.S. today, and it’s jauntily named the FemCap. One super important thing to remember: You need to use a cervical cap with spermicide for it to be most effective.

Fertility awareness-based methods—or natural family planning—are all about tracking your menstrual cycle to determine the days that you can get pregnant. The tricky part is actually knowing when those days are. To do that, you’ll need to pay very close attention to your body and its patterns. Here we list all the different ways you can monitor your day-to-day fertility.

The sponge is a round piece of white plastic foam with a little dimple on one side and a nylon loop across the top that looks like shoelace material. It’s pretty small—just two inches across—and you insert it way up in your vagina before you have sex. The sponge works in two ways: It blocks your cervix to keep sperm from getting into your uterus, and it continuously releases spermicide. Think of it like a bouncer at the nightclub door to your uterus.

“Spermicide” describes a bunch of different creams, films, foams, gels, and suppositories that you insert deep into your vagina before sex to prevent pregnancy. On its own, spermicide provides some pregnancy prevention, but pairing it with another method is way more effective. Some condoms come coated in spermicide, or you can use a separate spermicide along with a condom.

Withdrawal, also called the “pull-out method,” is one of the oldest forms of birth control on the planet. Withdrawal is when, during penis-in-vagina sex, the person with the penis pulls their penis out of their partner’s vagina before they ejaculate (cum). They can then ejaculate outside of the vagina if they like, but it’s important not to ejaculate on the vulva (the parts on the outside, which include the labia and the clitoris), as that can also lead to pregnancy.

Sterilization is a procedure that closes or blocks your fallopian tubes so you can’t get pregnant. (Your tubes are where eggs and sperm meet. If they can’t meet, they can’t hook up.) Guys also have a sterilization option—a vasectomy blocks the tubes that carry a man’s sperm. It’s even safer and more effective than female sterilization. Talk to a health care provider to learn more and be sure to ask about state and federal requirements, like age restrictions and waiting periods.

“Not right now” as a method for pregnancy prevention means not having penis-in-vagina sex. That means no sex where your partner’s penis goes into your vagina, and no other sexual activities that involve your partner’s semen (the whitish fluid that comes out of their penis when they ejaculate) getting on your vulva.