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"Your doctor can tell you how effective a contraceptive is, but every woman knows there&amp;amp;#8217;s more to it than that&amp;amp;#8212;it&amp;amp;#8217;s where, ahem, the rubber meets the road that counts. &amp;amp;#8220;The birth control that will work best is the one you like and can use consistently and correctly,&amp;amp;#8221; says Vanessa Cullins, M.D., vice president for medical affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. We went to the ultimate source of wisdom about contraceptives: 2,500 real women who use them. Barrier methods Good for on-the-spot protection, but not as reliable as other contraceptives Condom Women like: &amp;amp;#8220;Sharing the burden&amp;amp;#8221; of birth control with a male partner and the protection from sexually transmitted diseases&amp;amp;#8212;condoms are the only form of contraception that helps prevent STDs. But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: Interrupting foreplay; 16 percent of readers who&amp;amp;#8217;ve used them have had a condom break or leak. &amp;amp;#8220;I like condoms for now&amp;amp;#8212;I don&amp;amp;#8217;t feel as if my body is ruled by a drug. I also enjoy trying out new kinds!&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Liz Lorah, 24, Morgantown, W.V. The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: Condoms are essential protection against STDs, experts stress. But Los Angeles ob-gyn Anita Nelson, M.D., advises combining them with a second birth control method because they have a higher failure rate than hormonal methods. The facts What it is: A sheath (usually latex) rolled over the penis before sex that blocks sperm from entering the vagina Cost: About $1 each Possible side effects: Vaginal irritation and dryness Effectiveness: 85%* The Today Sponge Women like: That you &amp;amp;#8220;don&amp;amp;#8217;t have to plan ahead&amp;amp;#8221; and that it&amp;amp;#8217;s over-the-counter. But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: Difficulty taking it out; &amp;amp;#8220;irritation from the spermicide&amp;amp;#8212;ouch!&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8220;I thought the sponge was great until I tried to remove it. Hours, a mirror, a flashlight and many tears later, I realized it was going to have to be professionally removed.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Lissa Burt, 28, Los Angeles The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: &amp;amp;#8220;The vagina expands with arousal, so a sponge can get pushed up into the farthest corner, making it hard to get out for some women,&amp;amp;#8221; says New York City ob-gyn Carolyn Westhoff, M.D. &amp;amp;#8220;Beyond that, sponges just aren&amp;amp;#8217;t that great at preventing pregnancy.&amp;amp;#8221; The facts What it is: A spermicidal sponge inserted in the vagina to prevent sperm from entering the uterus Cost: About $3 each Possible side effect: Vaginal irritation Effectiveness: 84%* (68% in women who have had a baby) Diaphragm Women like: That &amp;amp;#8220;it&amp;amp;#8217;s hormone-free birth control&amp;amp;#8221; and you can &amp;amp;#8220;put it in hours before sex.&amp;amp;#8221; But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: Having to &amp;amp;#8220;wash it afterward.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8220;The Pill made me lose my sex drive and gain weight, so I switched and have been using the diaphragm for 13 years. You have to be comfortable with your body to use it.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Karen Fox, 38, Washington, D.C. The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: Diaphragms aren&amp;amp;#8217;t effective enough to get wide support from docs. &amp;amp;#8220;Few women use them anymore,&amp;amp;#8221; says Princeton University contraceptive expert James Trussell, Ph.D. The facts What it is: A latex dome inserted in the vagina before sex (along with spermicidal gel) to block sperm from entering the uterus Cost: $15 to $75 Possible side effects: Urinary tract infections, vaginal irritation Effectiveness: 84%* Hormonal Methods Very effective when used properly&amp;amp;#8212;and easily reversible when you want to get pregnant NuvaRing Women like: That it&amp;amp;#8217;s a &amp;amp;#8220;set it and forget it&amp;amp;#8221; birth control with &amp;amp;#8220;more constant hormone levels&amp;amp;#8221; and moods than the Pill. But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: Worrying that it might &amp;amp;#8220;come out&amp;amp;#8221;; dryness. &amp;amp;#8220;I&amp;amp;#8217;ve had sporadic nausea and headaches with the ring. But even with the side effects, changing my birth control just once a month is so much more manageable&amp;amp;#8212;I&amp;amp;#8217;m sticking with it.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Jamee Lawson, 23, Atlanta The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: &amp;amp;#8221;I love the NuvaRing,&amp;amp;#8221; says Dr. Westhoff. &amp;amp;#8220;It&amp;amp;#8217;s easy to use, and harder to forget than the Pill.&amp;amp;#8221; A study did find that 15 percent of users said the ring had come out during sex&amp;amp;#8212;which doesn&amp;amp;#8217;t raise the risk of pregnancy, but is annoying. &amp;amp;#8220;After sex, just make sure you know where it is,&amp;amp;#8221; she says. The facts What it is: A soft plastic ring worn in the vagina for three weeks a month; it releases Pill-like hormones to block ovulation Cost: $30 to $40 per month Possible side effects: Vaginal irritation; small chance of headaches Effectiveness: 92%* The Pill Women like: Predictable periods; and for some women clear skin: &amp;amp;#8220;Now I never break out!&amp;amp;#8221; But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: &amp;amp;#8220;Emotional highs and lows&amp;amp;#8221;; having to remember to take it every day. &amp;amp;#8220;I was an emotional mess with the first two Pills I tried taking. But now I&amp;amp;#8217;m on one that works. I do have occasional spotting and get a little cranky midcycle, but that&amp;amp;#8217;s it. Best of all, I know exactly when to expect my period.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Colleen Mathis, 25, New York City The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: &amp;amp;#8220;There are more than 40 brands of the Pill, so you may need to try several to find one that suits you,&amp;amp;#8221; says Dr. Westhoff. She suggests giving any Pill a few cycles to adjust and trying a full four different brands before you give up on the Pill altogether. It&amp;amp;#8217;s so effective, the trial and error is worth it, she says. The facts What it is: A daily dose of hormones (estrogen and progestin) that keep you from ovulating Cost: $15 to $50 per month Possible side effects: Spotting, nausea, headaches Effectiveness: 92%* The Patch Women like: &amp;amp;#8220;Can&amp;amp;#8217;t beat the convenience&amp;amp;#8221;; easier to remember than the Pill. But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: Feeling &amp;amp;#8220;sick from hormones&amp;amp;#8221;; the &amp;amp;#8220;adhesive is like superglue.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8220;The patch works fine, but it&amp;amp;#8217;s kind of messy and ugly. I never had a problem with it actually coming off, but it does move around and leave a trail of sticky stuff on me that gets all covered in sweater fuzz.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Daisy Okas, 35, New York City The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: Easy to use&amp;amp;#8212;only once-a-week application needed. Hormone-related side effects such as breast pain and nausea can be common at first, says Dr. Nelson, but they usually diminish after the first few weeks. The facts What it is: An adhesive skin patch you replace weekly; it delivers Pill-like hormones via your skin to block ovulation. Cost: $30 to $45 per month Possible side effects: Skin irritation, breast tenderness, nausea Effectiveness: 92%* Long-term methods The most effective contraceptives available&amp;amp;#8212;lasting from three months to forever IUD Women like: Not having to &amp;amp;#8220;think about birth control at all.&amp;amp;#8221; But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: Worsened cramps for some women. &amp;amp;#8220;The IUD is as hands-off as you can get&amp;amp;#8212;and no refilling prescriptions. The convenience alone is worth the expense.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Ashley MacDonald,26, Jersey City, N.J. The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: &amp;amp;#8220;IUDs are fantastic,&amp;amp;#8221; says Beth Jordan, M.D., medical director of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. &amp;amp;#8220;They work very well, are reversible and have few side effects.&amp;amp;#8221; The facts What it is: A small device placed (by an M.D.) in your uterus to prevent fertilization; the nonhormonal ParaGard IUD (shown) lasts for up to 12 years; the Mirena IUD releases progestin and lasts for five Cost: $175 to $500 Possible side effects: For ParaGard, heavier periods and cramping; for Mirena, frequent spotting at first, then often no period at all Effectiveness: More than 99%* Depo-Provera Women like: Light periods; that it&amp;amp;#8217;s &amp;amp;#8220;so easy&amp;amp;#8221;&amp;amp;#8212;never forgetting to take a pill means you&amp;amp;#8217;re always protected. But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: &amp;amp;#8220;Bad headaches&amp;amp;#8221;; weight gain for some women; worries about bone loss. &amp;amp;#8220;I have a love-hate relationship with Depo; it&amp;amp;#8217;s easy, I don&amp;amp;#8217;t have a period and I feel secure that it&amp;amp;#8217;s going to work. But it&amp;amp;#8217;s tough to lose weight when I&amp;amp;#8217;m on it, and it makes me very moody.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Devan Walton, 29, Pocatello, Idaho The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: &amp;amp;#8220;People are convinced that you automatically gain weight and it&amp;amp;#8217;s all Depo&amp;amp;#8217;s fault, but research shows that weight gain is not inevitable,&amp;amp;#8221; says Dr. Nelson. Because of the risk of bone loss, serious athletes or women with strong family histories of osteoporosis may want to avoid the shot, she says. The facts What it is: An injection of progestin you get four times a year that blocks ovulation Cost: $30 to $75 per shot Possible side effects: Headaches, irregular periods, decreased bone density (it&amp;amp;#8217;s reversed once you discontinue the shot) Effectiveness: 97%* Implanon Women like: Not having to &amp;amp;#8220;think about it every day&amp;amp;#8221;; having &amp;amp;#8220;lighter periods.&amp;amp;#8221; But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: Irritability; unpredictable bleeding; &amp;amp;#8220;acne as bad as when I was a teenager.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8220;I&amp;amp;#8217;ve now had Implanon for a few months, and though I was PMS-y at first and my arm hurt for a week, I&amp;amp;#8217;m happy with my decision. I don&amp;amp;#8217;t have to think about it every day like I did with the Pill, and there are relatively few side effects.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Ariel Brandt, 25, Washington, D.C. The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: &amp;amp;#8220;Implanon is stunningly effective,&amp;amp;#8221; says Dr. Westhoff. &amp;amp;#8220;But one main drawback is unpredictable bleeding patterns that may never settle down. It&amp;amp;#8217;s the kind of thing where you have to walk around with a panty liner in your purse.&amp;amp;#8221; The facts What it is: A rod placed under the skin that releases progestin to block ovulation; lasts for three years Cost: Around $500 Possible side effects: Unpredictable bleeding, moodiness, weight gain Effectiveness: More than 99%* Sterilization Women like: &amp;amp;#8220;Never, ever having to worry about birth control again.&amp;amp;#8221; But don&amp;amp;#8217;t like: The uncomfortable procedure; the &amp;amp;#8220;three-month waiting period&amp;amp;#8221; in which you have to use a backup method. &amp;amp;#8220;I chose sterilization because I got pregnant using two other methods&amp;amp;#8212;and I&amp;amp;#8217;m sure I am done having kids. The surgery was uncomfortable but quick.&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8212;Rebekah Hawthorne, 35, Bridgeport, Conn. The doctor&amp;amp;#8217;s opinion: &amp;amp;#8220;The most important thing with sterilization is being sure,&amp;amp;#8221; says San Francisco General Hospital ob-gyn Philip Darney, M.D. &amp;amp;#8220;Twenty percent of women sterilized before 30 regret it, and 2 percent try to get it reversed.&amp;amp;#8221; The facts What it is: A doctor surgically seals the fallopian tubes (tubal ligation) or inserts a coil (called Essure) that causes scarring that blocks tubes permanently. Cost: $1,500 to $6,000 Possible side effects: Infection, bleeding Effectiveness: More than 99%*"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/2008/02/better-birth-control/3>