Birth Control News & Features

If you're sure you don't want kids, find out from WebMD what's involved with permanent birth control options like vasectomy and tubal ligation.

Tubal ligation is one of the most popular types of birth control. What should you consider to help you decide whether this method is right for you?

Birth control doesn’t just prevent pregnancy. It can also help with your periods. WebMD examines which ones can lighten them -- or stop them altogether.

Since NuvaRing hit the market, more than 700 women have filed lawsuits, claiming it has caused potentially life-threatening blood clots. The battle may change the way millions of women prevent pregnancy.

Tired of taking birth control pills? There are lots of other contraception choices that need less action on your part and that you can stop at any time.

How does natural family planning work? Is it right for you?

Birth control pills can do more than prevent pregnancy. There are other reasons women take oral contraceptives.

Almost half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. Find out how this happens so often, from user error to irregular periods.

WebMD looks at research to determine if and how oral contraceptives impact a woman’s sex drive.

The FDA has changed the rules about how pharmacies sell some types of emergency contraception. Before you walk into a drugstore, learn more about what's available.

Oral contraceptives should be made available without a prescription to reduce unintended pregnancies, according to a newly published opinion by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

While the use of long-acting intrauterine devices (IUDs) is increasing, 1 in 9 women at risk for unintended pregnancies is not using any birth control, according to a new government report.

Abortions and unplanned pregnancies dropped dramatically in a new study when women and teenaged girls were provided birth control at no cost.

Two in five women of childbearing age in the U.S. didn't use any birth control in the month before they took a new survey on contraception.

The promise of a safe and effective birth control pill for men has long eluded scientists, but a new approach could change that.

WebMD reports on a new study on heart atack and stroke risk in various birth control pills.

Women using birth control pills may have a 20 times greater risk of an unplanned pregnancy than those using longer-acting forms of birth control like an intrauterine device (IUD) or implant, new research shows.

Birth control pills that contain the hormone drospirenone must now carry a warning that they may increase risk for potentially fatal blood clots, according to the FDA.

Seven lots of generic birth control pills have been recalled by Glenmark. The pills are packaged backwards. This means women may take the wrong pills on the wrong day, risking unwanted pregnancy.

Knowing how to use a condom correctly -- and using it -- may mean the difference between life and death.

Pfizer has recalled 1 million packs of Lo/Ovral 28 and generic norgestrel/ethinyl estradiol birth control pills. The pills, which must be taken in the correct sequence, are mixed up. Women using the products risk pregnancy.

An FDA panel voted 15-11 that the benefits of newer oral contraceptives outweigh their risks of dangerous blood clots.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has overruled the FDA, which was about to approve the emergency contraceptive "morning-after" pill Plan B for full over-the-counter sale. It will still be sold behind pharmacy counters and is prescription-only for those under age 17.

The drugmaker Merck has introduced a new version of its long-acting contraceptive implant Implanon, designed for easier insertion and removal by health care professionals.

One of the largest studies ever to look at the link between blood clots and hormonal contraception has found that women who take newer birth control pills appear to get dangerous blood clots in their veins about twice as frequently as women on an older pill formulation.