What Are the Best and Worst Birth Control Options?



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1 / 12   You've Got Options — and They Won't Cause Weight Gain

            When it comes to birth control, women have more options than ever. But more choices mean there’s a lot more to consider. So how can you choose which pregnancy prevention method is right for you?

            The most important step is to weigh your options with your doctor. You’ll want to find out how each form of birth control will affect your health, says Sara Newmann, MD, associate professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. Factors like high blood pressure, your smoking habits, and a history of breast cancer should all have an impact on your pick.

            The most popular forms of birth control in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, are oral contraception, tubal ligation (having your tubes tied), and condoms. While no one method is foolproof, oral contraception can do a pretty good job of preventing pregnancy: For every 100 women who are using oral contraception, nine will become pregnant.

            The cost of birth control depends on your insurer and your method. Many plans currently don’t require you to pay anything for your prescription, but there are some that do. Without insurance, oral contraception can cost around $50 a month; a vaginal ring $80. A IUD can cost up to $1,000 if you’re not covered. 

             But what about weight gain? A review published in January 2014 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews analyzed 49 studies and found that going on the pill or using the patch made no significant difference in weight for most women; the largest notable weight gain found, when studies did find it, was nearly four pounds. In the 21 studies that provided data on why women stopped taking birth control, 0 to 5 percent of women said they stopped because of weight gain.

            If you do experience weight gain, the researchers say it’s highly unlikely that your birth control is causing it. Unlikely, that is, unless you’ve had the birth control shot, which has been shown to increase weight in about one-quarter of the women who use it. If you’re on a different method than the shots, and you feel heavier, say experts, it’s probably water weight, and not an actual increase in fat.

            What's not a myth, on the other hand, is that oral contraception containing both estrogen and progestin, along with other medication, can help treat severe cases of acne. The hormone surge introduced by the pill overwhelms the amount of other, oil-producing hormones, such as testosterone, that are circulating.

Before you meet with your doc to discuss what plan is best for you, take a look at our list of pros and cons for 11 birth control methods.