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 Does the Contraceptive Implant Work?

How Does the Progestogen-only Pill Work?

Natural Family Planning: Advantages and Disadvantages

Do Contraceptive Injections Affect Bones?

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

The Male Contraceptive Pill: is it possible?

Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Types

IUS: Advantages and Disadvantages

Condoms - Advantages and Disadvantages

How Effective are Different Types of Contraception?

The Effects of Continuous Contraceptive Pill Taking

See more featured articles »

How Does The Combined Pill Work?

Blood Clot Risk and the Oral Contraceptive Pill

Male Condom versus Female Condom

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Combined Pill

Does Breastfeeding Act as a Contraceptive?

How to insert a diaphragm, cap or vaginal ring

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Contraceptive Patch

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Contraceptive Implants?

How is the Contraceptive Implant Put in and Taken Out?

IUD: Advantages and Disadvantages

What is the Contraceptive Patch?

Types of Combined Birth Control Pills

Natural Family Planning: an Overview

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

How Does the Contraceptive Vaginal Ring Work?

Latest Contraception News and Research

Pharmacist-led care delivering real results for women’s health

Pharmacy Guild of Australia, NSW Branch, today welcomed the release of new data from two NSW Government-sponsored clinical trials confirming allowing pharmacists to diagnose and treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and providing resupply of oral contraception is delivering safe, effective care for women, while easing pressure on the health system and saving emergency departments millions of dollars.

1 Jun 2026

Free contraception program sharply reduces patient spending in British Columbia

Researchers at UBC found that B.C.'s decision to provide universal, no-cost prescription contraception sharply reduced what patients pay, with the largest financial gains for people in their 20s.

29 May 2026

Vaginal bromocriptine may ease pain and heavy bleeding in adenomyosis

A pilot randomized controlled trial found that vaginal bromocriptine reduced menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, menstrual duration, and cycle irregularity in women with adenomyosis compared with routine treatment.

27 May 2026

Wearable devices may help detect menstrual health changes earlier

Digital health tools, including wearables, provide critical data on menstrual health, enhancing understanding of hormonal fluctuations and women's well-being.

27 May 2026

New clinical guidelines outline strategies to improve postpartum cardiovascular care

A new Expert Consensus Decision Pathway by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) provides recommended strategies for improving postpartum care for individuals with and at risk for short- and long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD).

22 May 2026

GLP-1 drugs promise wider health benefits, but experts urge caution on use

GLP-1 receptor agonists are reshaping care for type 2 diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, and obstructive sleep apnea, with evidence for glycemic, weight-loss, cardiovascular, and renal benefits. The review urges nurse practitioners to balance expanding clinical promise with careful prescribing, patient education, monitoring, access advocacy, and vigilance for gastrointestinal, endocrine, pregnancy-related, and rare serious risks.

27 Apr 2026

As US birth rate falls, feds’ response may make pregnancy more dangerous

The number of babies born in the United States fell again last year.

17 Apr 2026

Study advances safe, reversible male contraceptive without hormones

Cornell University scientists have taken a major step toward developing a safe, reversible, long-acting and 100% effective nonhormonal male contraceptive, considered the holy grail of male contraception.

7 Apr 2026

Historical redlining linked to modern reproductive health disparities in women

A pair of studies are the first to examine how the decades-old discriminatory mortgage lending practice may contribute to present-day reproductive health problems, which disproportionately burden Black residents and other communities of color.

25 Mar 2026

Hormonal contraception not associated with prevalence of idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Hormonal contraception, including birth control pills and intrauterine devices (IUDs), is not associated with an increased prevalence of a brain pressure disorder called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, according to a meta-analysis published on March 25, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 Mar 2026

Nepal and Afghanistan show how abrupt aid cuts can unravel essential care

Abrupt cuts to external health aid can destabilize multiple essential services simultaneously in fragile, donor-dependent settings, as illustrated by Nepal and Afghanistan. The paper argues that donor withdrawal is not just a resilience test, but also an ethical and governance issue that should be managed through “transition discipline.”

24 Mar 2026

Lawmakers seek to protect crisis pregnancy centers as abortion clinic numbers shrink

Conservative lawmakers in multiple states are pushing legislation drafted by an anti-abortion advocacy group to increase protections for crisis pregnancy centers, organizations that provide some health-related services but also work to dissuade women from having abortions.

19 Mar 2026

Global indicators identified to monitor health before pregnancy worldwide

The key health and social indicators needed for a new global system to monitor people's health before pregnancy have been identified for the first time by researchers at University College London and the University of Southampton.

16 Mar 2026

Birth control skepticism, teen fertility education center stage at Trump’s women’s health summit

Surrounded by hot pink lights and cherry blossom pink drapes on a ballroom stage, family doctor Marguerite Duane offered a seemingly simple solution to infertility: Doctors should have conversations with young girls about whether they want to have children one day.

16 Mar 2026

Parents struggle when teens gain control over health decisions at 16

When young people reach the age of 16, parents no longer have access to their child’s health information. For many families, this change comes unexpectedly.

11 Mar 2026

Researchers develop non-hormonal contraceptives to reduce side effects for couples

In the 1970s, the contraceptive pill was the most frequently used method of contraception in Western countries; in Germany, for example, one in three women used "the pill."

6 Mar 2026

Study reveals knowledge gaps about menstrual health in elite women’s football

Elite European women’s football players and staff show substantial knowledge gaps about menstrual health and hormonal contraception despite widespread openness to discussion. The study highlights the need for structured education to support informed health decisions while clarifying that perceived performance effects are not consistently supported by scientific evidence.

24 Feb 2026

New guidelines outline comprehensive care for acute pulmonary embolism

Early detection and prompt treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), a sudden and potentially life-threatening blood clot that blocks arteries in the lungs, is critical.

19 Feb 2026

Hormonal contraceptives show differing heart risks among stressed women

Antonia Seligowski, PhD, of the Neurocardiac Effects of Stress & Trauma Laboratory within the Department of Psychiatry at Mass General Brigham, is the senior author of a paper published in JAMA Network Open, "Hormonal contraceptive use, stress disorders, and cardiovascular and thrombotic risk in women."

5 Feb 2026

Peer-supported clinic visits strengthen reproductive choices in rural India

Despite improvements in economic and social empowerment, women in many countries still have little control over their own fertility and reproductive health.

21 Jan 2026