Contraception

Birth control, also known as contraception and fertility control, is a method or device used to prevent pregnancy.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Contraceptive Vaginal Ring

Oral contraception is a very popular means of contraception with a very high efficacy. However, it is necessary to be fully compliant with the regime to reap its full contraceptive benefits.

How is the Contraceptive Implant Put in and Taken Out?

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Contraceptive Implants?

Natural Family Planning: Advantages and Disadvantages

The Male Contraceptive Pill: is it possible?

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Progestogen-Only Pill (POP)

How Does the Contraceptive Implant Work?

See more featured articles »

Do Contraceptive Injections Affect Bones?

How Does The Combined Pill Work?

Natural Family Planning: an Overview

Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Types

How to insert a diaphragm, cap or vaginal ring

How Does the Contraceptive Vaginal Ring Work?

What is the Contraceptive Patch?

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Combined Pill

How Effective are Different Types of Contraception?

Male Condom versus Female Condom

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Contraceptive Patch

IUD: Advantages and Disadvantages

IUS: Advantages and Disadvantages

Does Breastfeeding Act as a Contraceptive?

Intrauterine Device (IUD) and Intrauterine System (IUS) Differences

Types of Combined Birth Control Pills

The Effects of Continuous Contraceptive Pill Taking

How Does the Progestogen-only Pill Work?

Condoms - Advantages and Disadvantages

Blood Clot Risk and the Oral Contraceptive Pill

Latest Contraception News and Research

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Senate saves PEPFAR funding — for now

The Senate has passed — and sent back to the House — a bill that would allow the Trump administration to claw back some $9 billion in previously approved funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting.

17 Jul 2025

New guideline recommends proper preconception care for women with diabetes

A joint guideline released today from the Endocrine Society and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) recommends women with diabetes receive proper preconception care and access to emerging diabetes technology and therapeutics to manage their blood sugar before, during and after pregnancy.

13 Jul 2025

Low-income patients face greater barriers in challenging health insurance denials

Low-income patients-and their healthcare providers-are less likely to challenge denials of their health insurance claims than those with household incomes above $50,000, according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research.

1 Jul 2025

HHS eliminates CDC staff who made sure birth control is safe for women at risk

For Brianna Henderson, birth control isn’t just about preventing pregnancy.

1 Jul 2025

Promoting more respectful and inclusive care in reproductive health cinics

Millions of young women around the world face stigma and bias when seeking reproductive health services, often limiting their access to contraception and quality care.

3 Jun 2025

Global female infertility rates surge, hitting women in their late 30s hardest

Researchers analyzed global data from 1990 to 2021 and found that over 110 million women worldwide were affected by infertility, with a significant rise in age-standardized rates. The study highlights shifting trends, with the greatest burden among women aged 35–39, and projections showing further increases in age-standardized rates by 2050.

22 May 2025

Combined oral contraceptive use associated with threefold increase in stroke risk in young women

New research presented today at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) 2025 revealed that the use of combined oral contraceptives (OCs) is associated with a threefold increase in the risk of cryptogenic ischaemic stroke (CIS) in young women.

20 May 2025

Even where abortion is still legal, many brick-and-mortar clinics are closing

On the last day of patient care at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Marquette, Michigan, a port town on the shore of Lake Superior, dozens of people crowded into the parking lot and alley, holding pink homemade signs that read "Thank You!" and "Forever Grateful."

16 May 2025

WHO Results Report 2024 shows progress on global health goals amid financial uncertainties

The World Health Organization (WHO) Results Report 2024, shows progress on global health goals, even in times of growing financial uncertainties.

12 May 2025

Progesterone-only contraceptive pill linked to increased asthma attacks in some women

A major study of around 260,000 women shows that taking the progesterone-only contraceptive pill can increase asthma attacks in some women.

7 May 2025

Alabama can’t prosecute groups helping patients get abortions elsewhere, judge rules

Reproductive rights groups in Alabama wasted no time resuming their work after a federal judge ruled in early April that the state's attorney general can't prosecute — or threaten to prosecute — people or organizations who help Alabama residents seek an abortion by traveling to another state.

5 May 2025

Heat triggers sperm activation for fertilization in mammals

In mammals - including us humans - sperm are surprisingly picky about temperature, thriving best in conditions a few degrees cooler than normal body temperature.

2 May 2025

Trump restores Title X funding for two anti-abortion states — while wiping it out elsewhere

The Trump administration quietly restored federal family planning money to Tennessee and Oklahoma, despite court rulings that the states weren’t entitled to funds because they refused to provide women information about terminating pregnancies or abortion referrals on request.

30 Apr 2025

WHO launches new guidelines to tackle adolescent pregnancy and related health complications

In a bid to tackle the leading cause of death globally among 15–19-year-old girls, the World Health Organization (WHO) today released a new guideline aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancy and its significant related health complications.

23 Apr 2025

Small antibody fragment shows potential for non-hormonal contraception

A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows how a small antibody fragment can block fertilization by targeting a key protein on the surface of the egg.

15 Apr 2025

Abortion rates remain stable in Ontario despite global spike

A new study finds that, unlike countries across the UK and Europe, abortion rates did not spike in Ontario, Canada from 2020-2022.

11 Apr 2025

The shifting sands of parenthood: Americans re-evaluate family plans

Recent data from Pew Research Center suggests that Americans are rethinking whether they want to become parents. This could be part of a long-term trend, as a research team from Michigan State University found that the percentage of nonparents in the United States who never want children has doubled over the past 20 years.

11 Apr 2025