Confidential, compassionate, and inclusive services to meet all your reproductive health care needs!
What is Family Planning?
It is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them.
Services Provided
- General Reproductive Health
- Birth control methods
- Confidential teen services
- STI screening/testing
- Preconception health counseling
- Pregnancy testing & counseling
- Fertility awareness & counseling
- Reproductive health access referrals
- Free condoms
Telehealth
- A Family Planning visit can be done by phone or video while in your own home.
- Telehealth visits are available daily – call our office to see if your visit can be virtual.
About Confidentiality
- All services are strictly confidential meaning that we legally cannot tell anyone if, why, or when you are at LCHC.
- If you are under 18 years of age, your parents or guardian will NOT be contacted when seeking Family Planning Services.
- Written information can be sent to an address other than your home address.
- You will NOT be contacted by phone, text or email WITHOUT your prior authorization.
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What should I consider before choosing a birth control method?
All women and men should be in control of if and when they decide to become parents. Birth control choices can be overwhelming. There are over a dozen of options to choose from. When it comes right down to it, the best birth control is the method you’re most likely to use. But here are some other things to consider as you decide.
- Do you want to have children someday?
- How soon do you want to have children?
- What birth control is available?
- Which is the safest method for me?
- Which method is easy to use?
- Will it affect menstruation?
- What are the side effects?
- What will it cost me?
There are many methods of birth control. Each method has it’s own benefits, no one method is right for everyone.
The 100% effective way of preventing unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections is to stay abstinent.
What are birth control methods?
Birth control or contraceptive methods can be grouped in two broad categories:
Surgical Methods (or Sterilization)
These are permanent methods of birth control.
These methods do not protect against STI’s and are used for persons who do not want any or more children.
Surgical Methods Include:
- Vasectomy (Male Sterilization)
- Tubal ligation (Tied tubes)
- Selective Tubal Occlusion
- Hysterectomy (removal of womb)
Non-surgical Methods:
- These are methods which can be stopped at any time.
- These include:
- Oral contraceptives (The Pill)
- Barrier Methods (Male & Female Condoms)
- Intra Uterine Devices (IUD’S: Mirena/Skyla/Paraguard)
- Depo Shot Implant (Implanon/Nexplanon)
- Patch (Ortho Evra)
- Vaginal Ring (NuvaRing)
How well does birth control work?
Really, really well
Works hassle-free for up to…
- Nexplanon (Implant)- 3 years
- Skyla (IUD)- 3 years
- Mirena (IUD)- 5 years
- ParaGard (IUD)- 12 years
Sterilization for men and women- Forever
**Pregnancy Rate: less than 1 in 100 women
Not so Well
For each of these methods to work, you or your partner have to use it every single time you have sex….
- Withdrawal
- Diaphragm
- Fertility Awareness
- Condoms for men and women (needed for STI protection and use with any other method)
**Pregnancy Rate: 12-24 100 women depending on method
Okay
For it to work best, use it…
- The Pill- Every single day
- The Patch- Every week
- The Ring- Every month
- The Shot- Every 3 months
**Pregnancy Rate: 6-9 in 100 women depending on method