Contraceptive Counseling

Choosing when or if to have children is vital for a happy, fulfilling life. Diana Heard, MD, Olga Vega, PA, and the team at Glendale Obstetrics and Gynecology, PC in Glendale, Arizona, offer contraceptive counseling services to help you select the birth control method ideal for your needs. They also fit and remove intrauterine devices (IUDs), provide contraceptive injections and implants, and prescribe birth control pills. To get expert help when choosing birth control, call Glendale Obstetrics and Gynecology, PC, and inquire about contraceptive counseling or book an appointment online today.

What is contraceptive counseling?

Contraceptive counseling helps you choose a birth control (contraceptive) option that’s right for you.

Contraception gives women the choice of when to have children. You can enjoy a loving sexual relationship without fearing unwanted pregnancy, so you only have a child when the time is right for you.

The freedom to choose when to have children is a vital aspect of caring for your physical and mental health. However, there are now multiple methods of preventing pregnancy, so choosing one can be tough. The Glendale Obstetrics and Gynecology, PC team can help with their expert contraceptive counseling.

What are my contraception choices?

The simplest contraception forms a barrier preventing sperm from reaching your egg. The contraceptive sponge, diaphragm, and condoms are the main barrier methods of birth control. They’re most effective if you use them with a spermicide, which kills any stray sperm that get around the barrier.

Hormonal forms of birth control are a straightforward and popular contraceptive choice. They use the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone to prevent ovulation (the release of an egg each month) and thicken the cervical mucus, so it’s harder for sperm to enter your uterus.

Glendale Obstetrics and Gynecology, PC uses leading birth control methods that include:

• Mirena® hormonal IUD
• Kyleena® hormonal IUD
• Paragard® copper IUD
• Skyla® hormonal IUD
• Liletta® hormonal IUD
• Nexplanon® hormonal implant
• NuvaRing® hormonal vaginal ring
• Oral contraception pills
• Depo-Provera hormone injections

If you’re sure you don’t want to conceive in the future, you might choose sterilization. In this procedure, the Glendale Obstetrics and Gynecology, PC team seals the fallopian tubes (tubal ligation), so sperm can’t reach your eggs.

What does contraceptive counseling involve?

Your contraceptive counseling consultation at Glendale Obstetrics and Gynecology, PC aims to help you select a birth control option that suits your lifestyle and future pregnancy plans while causing minimal risks to your health.

Your OB/GYN does a physical exam and checks your medical history to see if you’re at risk of blood clots. They might advise against some forms of hormonal birth control if you’ve previously had breast cancer or a deep vein thrombosis (DVT, a blood clot in a leg vein), or you have other risk factors for methods like oral birth control pills.

Your OB/GYN discusses what you want from contraception. Are you happier taking a daily pill, or would you prefer an implant that you can forget about for months? If you need long-term protection, you might like an intrauterine device (IUD), which may be hormonal or made of copper (copper makes the uterine environment hostile to sperm).

These and other considerations help narrow down the choice of contraception until you find the one that suits you best.

To arrange your expert contraceptive counseling appointment at Glendale Obstetrics and Gynecology, PC, call the office or book online today.