Birth Control

One day, you may want to have a baby or you may never want to have a child. Parents will tell you that a baby will bring unimaginable joy to your life (and, of course, sleepless nights, screaming and dirty diapers) but pregnancy should happen when you are ready. If you are not ready to have a baby, it's a good idea to use contraception to avoid an unplanned pregnancy; until you're sure you want and are ready to have a baby.

Sex can be a wonderful experience, but the last thing you want to worry about is getting pregnant. Contraception is a shared responsibility of both partners. Remember, it only takes one time to get pregnant.  Make sure you find a contraception method that works best for you and your partner.

There are many types of contraception to choose from. Most importantly the contraception you choose should be effective, safe and pretty easy to use. Once you've found which contraception, make sure to use it as instructed. Don't forget to use condoms to protect you from sexually transmitted infections.

The best way to protect yourself from pregnancy and from sexually transmitted infections (that you or your partner may not know you have) is to use a dual method of protection. That means using a male or female condom (yes, there are female condoms) along with another method of contraception.

For more information, please visit Sexuality and U

(information adopted from Sexuality and U)