Lots of people think family planning is just about choosing a birth control method. While birth control certainly plays a role in family planning, it’s just one part of the whole picture. Family planning is about deciding when you want to have a baby, how to plan for your pregnancy, and what steps to take to prevent getting pregnant if you’re not quite ready.
Having a baby will literally change your life. That’s why it’s so important to choose a provider who’s committed to providing compassionate, individualized, patient-centered care and guidance. Dr. Sanford White, MD, offers comprehensive family planning services from birth control and permanent contraception to fertility services and pregnancy planning.
Are you ready for pregnancy?
One of the biggest questions women need to ask themselves before deciding to start a family is, Are you ready to become a mom? Whether or not you’re married (or plan to be), if you’re sexually active, that’s a question you need to ask yourself and answer honestly. Being a parent comes with a huge amount of responsibilities, and if you plan to continue your education, change or advance your career, travel, or make other life-changing decisions in the near future, now is probably not the best time to think about starting a family.
No
If the answer is no and you’re not ready to get pregnant, the team at Abortion Care can help you select a birth control method that’s just right for your needs — one that’s easy to use, convenient for your lifestyle and, of course, effective in preventing pregnancy. Some of the options available to patients include:
- Oral contraceptives
- IUDs
- Implants
- Diaphragms
- Vaginal rings
- Contraceptive patches
- Permanent contraception or sterilization using implants or tubal ligation
During your office visit, you’ll learn all about the different types of contraception so you can make an informed decision and select the right method for your needs.
Suppose the answer is no, but you’ve already become pregnant? That’s one of the most stressful times in a woman’s life. At Abortion Care, we believe in a woman’s right to control her own destiny. Dr. White offers emergency birth control, also called Plan B birth control. Plan B uses hormones just like birth control pills to help prevent pregnancy in one of three ways:
- By preventing an egg from being released
- By preventing fertilization of an egg that’s already been released
- By preventing implantation of an egg that’s already been fertilized
To be effective, Plan B must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. For women who have become pregnant without intending to, a pregnancy termination procedure is a better option.
Yes
Those are the “I’m not ready” services that family planning provides. Now suppose your answer is yes, and you are ready to become pregnant. Then family planning can help by providing preconception counseling that can help you make sure you’re healthy enough for pregnancy and ready in other ways too. Preconception counseling may involve helping you achieve a healthy weight prior to pregnancy or optimizing your nutrition and improving your health in other ways. If you or your partner have a chronic medical condition or a genetic or chromosomal concern, Dr. White can help you understand how that issue could affect your pregnancy and your baby.
If you already have children, Dr. White can help you space out your pregnancies so you’re not stressed and worn out by having pregnancies too close together. Plus, he can help you understand how to avoid health risks associated with some pregnancies, like gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, and how to avoid those problems. Making sure you’re as healthy as possible before getting pregnant means you and your baby can enjoy better health during pregnancy, at birth and beyond.
Take control of your future
Family planning can help you feel more confident about yourself and your future. To learn more about the family planning services Dr. White offers, contact the practice today.
