Birth Control: Overview
There are a lot of choices when it comes to birth control methods:
It's important to find out as much as possible about different methods so you can choose one that will work best for you. Some methods involve POSSIBLE side effects (e.g. pills or Depo Provera™). Some methods require that you are comfortable touching your own body in order to insert and remove them (e.g. Nuva Ring™, diaphragms and sponges). Talk to your health care provider to get information to help you with your decision.

 
Birth Control & STIs
Don't count on your birth control method to protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Play it safe and use condoms along with your birth control for added protection.

 
Morning After Pill - Emergency Contraceptive Pill and Plan B®
Morning after pills are an emergency method of birth control (they are not a regular method of birth control). You have a window of between 3 and 5 days in which to use ECP, although the sooner you use it, the better it works.  If they are taken as soon as possible (within 72 hours or 3 days) of unprotected sex (e.g. a condom broke, no birth control method used, someone was sexually assaulted or raped) they are at least 75% effective in preventing a pregnancy. You usually get 2 sets of pills and you take 2 pills right away and 2 pills 12 hours later. There are possible side effects (e.g. they might make you sick to your stomach) but most women can use them safely.   Plan B® contains levonorgestrel and works in the same way as ECP although it doesn’t tend to cause the stomach upset ECP does.  ECP and Plan B® are available from doctors, clinics, emergency rooms and most recently, Plan B® is dispensed by Pharmacists. (Please call these places first to make sure they have them).

 
Guys & Birth Control
Most birth control methods that are available today are female methods (e.g. hormones taken by a woman or things inserted into her body). But that doesn't mean that male partners can't be involved in birth control. There are lots of ways that men can be involved: men can discuss the decision, use condoms, have vasectomies, share the cost of birth control methods, and insert barrier methods like diaphragms or the female condom as part of sex play, etc...

 
Pregnancy Options & Abortions
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy, you have 3 choices available to you:
  • Become a parent.
  • Place the child for adoption.
  • Have an abortion.
You are the only one who can decide which choice is best for you. Whatever you decide, the first step is to confirm that you are pregnant - get a pregnancy test done by your doctor or clinic. Then take some time for yourself to weigh your choices carefully, thinking about which choice you're most comfortable with, how the decision will affect your future plans, which choices fit with your personal beliefs, etc. It can help to talk to someone you trust about your feelings.  Make sure someone else is not pressuring you into any one decision. You can also get more information about all your choices from the Halifax Sexual Health Centre.
It's important to have a pregnancy test and get information about your choices as early as you can so that you can make your decision. If you are considering continuing the pregnancy (becoming a parent or adoption), you should get a doctor for prenatal care as soon as possible and also have a medical exam to make sure you have a normal, healthy pregnancy. If you are considering having an abortion, it's best to make your decision as early as possible. Abortion is a safe medical procedure, but potential risks increase the longer the pregnancy continues. Don't rush into your decision, but don't put it off either. Just make your decision as soon as you possibly can.