Emergency contraception (or emergency birth control) prevents a pregnancy before it starts. There are four types – the copper IUD, ella, plan B (the most famous), and Yupze regimen. This is NOT the same as the abortion pill because you take this before you’re even pregnant.  Click here to figure out when you can take which method and until what …

If you don’t have “penis in vagina” sex, it’s very hard to get pregnant. If you’re in a heterosexual relationship, it’s also really hard not to have “penis in vagina” sex. It takes a ton of self-control that can be hard to maintain in the moment.  You need to make sure you and your partner agree, communicate, and respect each …

There are lots of ways to talk about pulling out. Doctors will use the words “coitus interruptus” (meaning interrupted sex) and sometimes you’ll hear withdrawal. Pretty much, it’s the guy NOT coming in your vagina. You won’t get pregnant if he comes somewhere else on you , but the timing has to be right. It’s pretty hard to stop having …

Spermacide is a cream that kills sperm using one specific ingredient (nonoxynol-9) It’s most effective when used with other methods – like cervical caps, diaphragms, or condoms. The cream goes in with either your fingers and an applicator (like a tampon) and can effective for about an hour. Which means re-applying it each time you do it.  Some people are …

It’s a super creative name – the sponge is a tiny sponge. It sits right in front of the uterus preventing sperm from getting in. And it’s releases spermicide, which kills the sperm. Unlike the diaphragm and the cervical cap, it doesn’t have to be replaced each time you have sex. You can do it as many times as you …

It’s sometimes called the rhythm method, natural family planning, or fertility awareness. It relies on having sex at certain times around your egg being released to make sure you either don’t get pregnant or you do get pregnant. You need to have regular periods in order to use it and you need to be hyperorganized in order to make sure …

Cervical caps are little round silicone barriers that prevent sperm from going into the uterus where it would meet the egg. It’s similar to a diaphragm. You put it in before sex (along with spermicide – a cream that kills sperm) and no one will know that you have it in. You can get it set up hours before you …

It’s like a square band-aid that you put on your skin every week for three weeks in a row and then nothing for a fourth week. It works two ways – it prevents the egg from ever getting released and also makes the mucus of your cervix (at the end of your vagina) super thick so sperm can’t get through. …

The brand name is “Depo-Provera” but most people call it the shot. And it’s exactly that – a shot you get every three months. It works two ways – it prevents the egg from ever getting released and also makes the mucus of your cervix (at the end of your vagina) super thick so sperm can’t get through. It uses …

It a little (seriously little) rod that’s underneath your skin in your arm. It works two ways – it prevents the egg from ever getting released and also makes the mucus of your cervix (at the end of your vagina) super thick so sperm can’t get through. It uses a hormone that naturally occurs in your body- progestin. It’s great …

Diaphragms are little round silicone barriers that prevent sperm from going into the uterus where it would meet the egg.  It’s similar to a cervical cap. You put it in before sex (along with spermicide – a cream that kills sperm) and no one will know that you have it in. You can get it set up hours before you …

These are also called internal condoms. They work in the same way that male condoms do –prevent contact between the penis and the vagina – but instead of going on the penis, it goes in your vagina. It gives you a lot of control – you don’t have to rely on the guy to put a condom on – you’ve …

This is what people normally think about when they say condoms (more about female condoms) It’s a cover that goes on the penis and when a guy cums, it gets trapped in the condom. Because it’s an actual barrier between the penis and the vagina, it works REALLY well against STDs (think chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, etc). Sex is super messy …

IUD means intra-uterine device. It’s a little piece of plastic that sits inside your uterus to prevent pregnancy. There are 2 kinds: with hormones and without. Both kinds work in different ways. They are a really great “forget about it” method. Once you get one, you don’t have to think about it until it’s time to take it out (anywhere …

It’s a little plastic ring that releases hormones and sits in your vagina for three weeks at a time. The fourth week you take it out and generally have a period. It works two ways – it prevents the egg from ever getting released and also makes the mucus of your cervix (at the end of your vagina) super thick …