Birth Control Methods After Pregnancy

So, your new baby has finally arrived. The last thing (or perhaps the first thing!) brand-new moms want to think about are their birth control options. Either way, postpartum is the perfect time for it. Breastfeeding your newborn is no guarantee against an unexpected pregnancy, and the birth control method you used before becoming pregnant may no longer be feasible, for various reasons. The transition period between birth and when you resume your sexual activity is a good time to sit down with your partner and discuss your option. As a sleep-deprived mom, you would probably rather not to worry about contraception. But hearing you're pregnant at your postnatal checkup would probably come as a shock

Make it simple. Use methods that are as low maintenance as possible.

Use something that will be the least burdensome to your sex life. It is hard enough to have the energy and desire to have sex while enduring the sleep deprivation of the post-partum period. Your contraceptive choice should help you, not make it more difficult.

Consider methods with high efficacy, like an IUD. With the unpredictability of ovulation and irregular bleeding, using back-up methods like rhythm and withdrawal are impossible.

Don't start late. Many women resume sexual intercourse without starting their method. They have not had a real period or they are still nursing part time and think they are not fertile or they are just too busy or exhausted to get their prescription filled from the drugstore. They guess wrong and get pregnant. The post-partum period is a common time for women to experience unintended pregnancy!

Consider other long-acting but reversible methods over sterilization. They are just as effective, extremely safe and allow flexibility in managing fertility. A new mom does not want to and does not have to take on the unnecessary risks of surgery and anesthesia.

Permanent Options

Tubal Sterilization