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Hormonal Methods
Basic Info
By: Plum

What’s in for this year are hormonal methods. And when I say in, I literally mean in. Hormonal methods, unlike barriers, work from the inside of your body. They send hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, into your body to prevent you from ovulating (which is when the egg is released from the ovaries).

Such methods are the PATCH which you can wear in loud-and-proud places or easy to hide parts of the body; the PILL which you take just once-a-day—you get yourself a cute little pill case and a daily reminder. To prevent an Oops, not again! situation, you can set an alarm on your celly, take it after you eat a regular meal, or before you go to school—anything that’s consistent really. Or you can be discreet with the RING which stays in for 3 weeks and gets taken out for a week during that “time of the month.” Depo, or the SHOT, lasts 12 weeks and is only a clinic appointment away. The Ring and the Shot are great methods when you don’t want someone in your business.

All of these hormonal methods are highly effective. Less than 1 out of 100 women will get pregnant each year if they always take their method as directed. But FYI, none of them protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Use of condoms during every vaginal, oral and anal encounter is strongly recommended. Down below is some more info to fill in the blanks but to handle some unanswered questions, it’s best to have a discussion with your medical provider.

Method	How to use	Advantages	Disadvantages*
Pill	•prescribed by a doctor •one is taken by mouth everyday at the same time for 21 days •the other 7 days take the reminder pills	•can help clear up acne •can help regulate menstruation •may reduce menstrual cramps	•possible bleeding between periods (most often with progestin-only pills), breast tenderness, nausea and vomiting •can be difficult to remember to take every day
Patch	•prescribed by a doctor •wear in one of four spots on the body •switch spot every week for 3 weeks •on week 4 don’t wear a patch	•can help regulate menstruation •protects against iron deficiency anemia	•bleeding between periods, breast tenderness, nausea and vomiting •possible irritation to skin where patch is placed •may be visible to others
Shot (Depo-Provera)	•doctor’s visit every 12 weeks to receive a shot	•can be used while breastfeeding •may reduce menstrual cramps	•possible irregular or late periods, bleeding between periods, weight gain •side effects cannot be reversed until medication wears off (up to 12 weeks) •may cause delay in getting pregnant after shots are stopped
Ring (NuvaRing)	•prescribed by a doctor •insert a new ring for 3 weeks •at the end of week 3 remove the ring •after a week without the ring, insert a new ring	•may help clear up acne •helps ease premenstrual symptoms	•possible bleeding between periods, breast tenderness, nausea and vomiting

* keep in mind everybody is different so some of these side effects may apply to you and some may not.

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