Contraception guide for people choosing a method
Contraception guide for people choosing a method. Practical steps for people choosing or changing a contraceptive method.
For: People choosing or changing a contraceptive method
General guidance across countries. Sources checked 2026-09-26.
Choosing, and changing your mind
Methods differ mainly in how long they last and how much you have to remember. Some are taken daily, some are repeated every few months, and some are placed once and left for years. All of them stop when you decide they stop, and fertility returns after most of them quickly.
There is no single best method, only the one that fits a particular life. A woman who cannot keep a packet at home without it being found needs a different answer from one who simply dislikes injections, and both answers exist. Say what matters to you - privacy, not having to remember, not changing your periods, being able to be pregnant soon - and the choice narrows quickly.
What a clinician checks, and why
A few conditions change which methods are safe rather than whether you can have one at all. Migraines with visual warning signs, high blood pressure, a previous blood clot, liver disease and breast cancer each close off one group and leave others open. This is why the choice is made with somebody rather than at a counter.
Breastfeeding matters too, and in the opposite direction from what people expect: it does not rule family planning out, it points towards particular methods. Tell whoever you see how old the baby is and whether you are feeding only by breast.
Sources
- Family planning/contraception methods · World Health Organization · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
- Medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use, 6th ed. · World Health Organization · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO