- Teens and birth control. I agree that many teenage boys may not have the self-awareness or self-control to be able to pull out before orgasm. But there are some boys who can...and many men in their 30s who can't. I don't make assessments of a guy's self-control solely based on his age. And it's up to women to talk with their partner about pulling out, and decide whether or not the method would work for them, regardless of his age.
- Only condoms protect you against STDs. No matter what your primary method of birth control is, the only way of preventing or reducing the chance of STDs during intercourse is to use condoms. And this holds true even if you or your partner has been sterilized.
- Withdrawal is not as effective as other methods of contraception. Totally true. But effectiveness is not the only factor when a woman chooses a method of birth control--if it was, all women would be using the IUD! So many other things also matter:
DOCTOR ACCESS. Can you get back to your doctor when you need to for the next prescription or injection, or does work or child care make that difficult (or impossible)?
PAST EXPERIENCE. If you've had bad side effects with a method in the past, it may make you less likely to try it (or a similar method) again in the future. And if you hear enough bad stories from friends or on the internet, it also may make you wary of trying something new.
RELIGION. Some women may only be able to use natural family planning (rhythm) or withdrawal, to stay true to their religious beliefs.
PARTNER'S WISHES. In many relationships, both members of the couple decide what form(s) of birth control to use.
FREQUENCY OF SEX. If you're having sex once a month or less, you may not want to use a daily/weekly/monthly method of birth control.
In my ideal world, all women would be using an IUD to protect against pregnancy, and condoms to prevent and reduce the risk of infection. Of course, all women would also be in fantastic committed relationships as well (if that's what they want)! And birth control would never fail...but fail sometimes it does. As several commenters pointed out, the only two perfect methods of contraception are abstinence and hysterectomy. But since these are not the best options for most of us, I want women to have the most information possible when making decisions about their contraception and their health.
What factors went into your decision to use your birth control method?
You can read more about contraception and sexual health at Gynotalk.
[photo credit: Getty Images]
