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NORWAY — Finding the best birth control for you and your lifestyle is one way to take control of your reproductive health. The expert medical staff at Norway Family Planning can help navigate the many choices available.
One popular option is Long-Acting Reversible Contraception, which includes hormonal and non-hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs like Mirena or ParaGuard) and implants (like Nexplanon). LARC insertion is simple, quick and painless. As a birth control method, LARCs are highly effective and 100 percent reversible. Different brands are approved for use for there to seven years (some for as long as 10 to 12 years). Fertility returns quickly after removal of a LARC device.
Another common choice is a birth control pill; most versions work by releasing hormones that stop ovaries from releasing eggs. The pill is very effective — as long as you use it perfectly by taking it at roughly the same time every day. There are many brands of pills available; your nurse practitioner can help you decide which is right for you.
Like the pill, the patch works by releasing hormones that prevent ovaries from releasing eggs. However, you only have to worry about changing this two-inch square once a week.
If STD prevention is one of your priorities, consider condoms. Available in external and internal (which go inside the vagina) versions, condoms can protect from most STDs, including HIV, while also helping prevent unplanned pregnancy. They are even more effective when used with spermicide.
Family Planning clinicians can also explain fertility-awareness methods that involve tracking your menstrual cycle via body temperature or other indicators to determine when you are ovulating and, therefore, most likely to get pregnant.
Emergency contraception, which helps prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, is also available at Norway Family Planning.
Don’t forget, many of these birth control methods may be available to you for free or at a low cost. Even if you don’t have health coverage, you may still be eligible for the Maine’s Limited Family Planning Benefit, which provides free health care services including birth control to legal Maine residents with an individual income of $25,205 or less per year but do not qualify for MaineCare.
Maine Family Planning recently unveiled its new website, which empowers patients to book appointments and pay their bills online, as well as chat with experts via smartphone or computer. Visit www.mainefamilyplanning.org to take reproductive well-being into your own hands.
