Birth Control: Getting Started and Best Practices
- How effective are birth control pills? The patch? The ring?
- Don’t I need an appointment with a gynecologist or physical with an in-person doctor to get birth control? Can I get birth control without a pelvic exam or Pap smear?
- How does birth control prevent pregnancy?
- When can I start taking birth control? How long after I start birth control am I fully protected against pregnancy?
- How do I insert the vaginal ring?
- Do I need to take the ring out for sexual activity?
- Will I have more regular periods on birth control?
- What are the placebo pills in my birth control pack?
- Can I get pregnant during the placebo break?
- If I started taking the pill at one time but want to change the time I take it every day, can I do that?
- Can I use birth control to skip my periods?
- What do I do if I miss a pill?
- What do I do if my ring falls out or my patch falls off?
- If I don’t take my pills at the exact same time every day, will they still be effective?
- How should I store my birth control? What if it was shipped during extreme cold or hot weather, will it still be effective?
- Why did I receive a generic? Are generics any less safe or effective than name-brand?
- How will I know if the medications I am taking will interfere with the effectiveness of my birth control?
- Do antibiotics decrease the effectiveness of my birth control?
- Does drinking alcohol affect my birth control and its effectiveness?
- Do any of the types of birth control you offer protect against STDs?