Here for You

What's the Best Choice for Me?

from: http://www.sexualityandu.ca/teens/contraception-3.aspx

There is no "best choice" birth control that works for everyone. You have to decide what will work best for you. Look at the options, and decide on what you think is best. Rembember, you can always switch methods later if you're not happy with your choice.

Let's face it, high schools are pretty tight-knit places where many teenagers do a lot of sexual exploring, so you probably want to think about protecting yourself from STIs too. In fact, it's not really uncommon to hear about "outbreaks" of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) hitting just one high school! The only effective way to protect against STIs is by using condoms (male or female).

Some contraception choices usually aren't great ideas for teenagers. You might want to have kids later in life, so surgeries like vasectomy or tubal ligation (getting your tubes "tied") are probably out. You might also want to think about doubling-up protection during sex, so you're protected from pregnancy and STIs. If you're healthy, a really popular choice for your age is to take the Pill to protect against pregnancy and use condoms to protect against STIs. Condoms by themselves can prevent pregnancy too, but aren't as effective as the Pill.

If you're having sex without a condom, you're putting yourself at risk of disease. Remember, you're still young, and some of these diseases can stick with you for your whole life. AIDS can even kill you, and others can make it impossible for you to ever have children.

Consider what works best for you and what works best for your partner. The more you use protection, the less risk you're running of pregnancy or STIs - if you only use protection "most of the time", you're just setting yourself up for an accident waiting to happen.