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Concerns about safety have led to making birth control pills with less of the hormone estrogen. Pills with less estrogen might not work as well to prevent pregnancy and could cause bleeding problems. This review looked at studies that compared pills with 20 µg ethinyl estradiol versus pills that have more estrogen. We did computer searches for randomized ...

Emergency contraceptive pills can prevent unwanted pregnancy if taken soon after unprotected sex. Getting a prescription for emergency contraception can be difficult and time-consuming. Giving emergency contraception to women in advance could ensure that women have it on hand in case they need it. We searched for studies comparing women who got emergency ...

An intrauterine device (IUD) is a small device placed in the womb for long-term birth control. Many people worry about the woman getting pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) with an IUD. This infection can lead to problems in getting pregnant. If PID occurs, it is often within the first few weeks. Antibiotics are sometimes used before inserting an IUD ...

Incomplete abortions cause many complications and the deaths of tens of thousands of women each year. Women who seek health care after an incomplete abortion usually come for problems from bleeding too much or infection. Antibiotics are generally given when there are signs of infection. The review of trials showed difficulties for women in continuing ...

Side effects of birth control pills may keep women from using them as planned. Attempts to decrease side effects led to the two-phase pill. Pills with phases provide different amounts of hormones over three weeks. Whether two-phase pills lead to fewer pregnancies than one-phase pills is unknown. Nor is it known if the pills give better cycle control ...

Side effects of birth control pills may keep women from using them as planned. Attempts to decrease side effects led to the three-phase pill in the 1980s. Pills with phases provide different amounts of hormones over three weeks. Whether three-phase pills lead to fewer pregnancies than two-phase pills is unknown. Nor is it known if the pills give better ...

The cervical cap and the diaphragm are small, rubber devices that women put in their vagina (birth canal) and place over their cervix. Both devices block sperm and help prevent pregnancy. Also, both hold a chemical that kills sperm. Birth control with these methods can be stopped at any time and can be used without involving the partner. The cervical ...

Preparing the cervix to make it softer and more open before a woman has an abortion may make the procedure easier and safer. There are different techniques for preparing the cervix before abortion, including several types of medications taken either by mouth, injection or placed in the vagina, as well as several types of small rods that can be placed ...

Abortion during the second trimester of pregnancy accounts for 10-15% of abortions performed worldwide (Finer 2005; Stat. Service. 2005; WHO 1997). Surgical evacuation, called dilation and evacuation (D&E), is the preferred method of second-trimester abortion, as opposed to induction of labor, in most developed countries where D&E and medical ...

Weight gain is thought to be a side effect of birth control methods. Many women and healthcare providers believe that pills and patches cause weight gain. Concern about weight gain can limit the use of these effective birth control methods. Fear of weight gain keeps some women from starting the pill or patch. Women may stop using the pill because they ...