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Can Birth Control Solve Rat Infestations?
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Birth Control
Presented By
Researchers Make Progress Toward a Monthly Birth Control Pill
By Alice Park
Can Over-the-Counter Birth Control Become a Bipartisan Issue?
By Abigail Abrams
Study Finds Male Birth Control Pill Safe and Effective
By Julia Zorthian
There’s a New Health Secretary. What Will He Mean for Women’s Health?
By Alexandra Sifferlin
More in
Birth Control
Birth Control Pills May Help Prevent Some Cancers
A new study looks at how oral contraceptives affect cancer risk
By Alice Park
January 18, 2018
Birth Control for Men? Researchers Will Test a Hormone Gel in 2018
A new kind of male birth control may be on the horizon. The largest clinical trial to date on hormonal male contraception is slated to begin in the first half of 2018, and aims to...
By Amanda MacMillan
December 22, 2017
Hormonal Birth Control Is Linked to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
Hormone-based contraceptives are linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, according to a new study
By Alice Park
December 6, 2017
Rent the Runway CEO: How Birth Control Helped Me Succeed
'It’s shocking to me that in 2017, we’re still having this debate'
By Jennifer Hyman
December 5, 2017
Hormonal Birth Control Is Linked to a Higher Risk of Suicide, Study Says
Contraceptives are effective ways to prevent pregnancy, alleviate menstrual pain and ease heavy bleeding, but the hormonal changes needed to accomplish that may have some negative psychological side effects. In a study published in the...
By Alice Park
November 21, 2017
IUDs May Have a Surprising Health Benefit
The intrauterine device (IUD) is considered one of the most effective and long-lasting forms of birth control available. Now a new study suggests it may also have a role in preventing cervical cancer. A new...
By Alexandra Sifferlin
November 7, 2017
Notre Dame Students: Ending Birth Control Coverage Is Sexist and Elitist
'Preserving Catholic identity does not require naïveté when it comes to sexual health'
By Emily Garrett, Molly Burton
November 6, 2017
Your IUD May Get a Lot More Expensive. Here's How Much It Could Cost in Every State
Should you use birth control pills, condoms or an intrauterine device (IUD)? Women choose their birth control based on many factors, like effectiveness or comfort—but cost has been less of a consideration, ever since the...
By Alexandra Sifferlin and Pratheek Rebala
October 18, 2017
No, Birth Control Doesn’t Make You Have Riskier Sex, Researchers Say
Rolling back the federal birth control mandate could lead to increases in teen pregnancies and abortions, experts say
By Abigail Abrams
October 12, 2017
Rabbi: President Trump's Birth Control Mandate Is an Attack on Religious Liberty
'Religious liberty is the freedom of and the freedom from religion'
By Rabbi Hara E. Person
October 12, 2017
Trump Rolls Back Obamacare Birth Control Mandate
More employers can refuse to provide the benefit
By Aric Jenkins
October 6, 2017
14% More Men Are Using Condoms: Study
Condoms are one of the best ways to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, but they are not an especially well-used form of birth control in the United States. However, new data indicates that 34% of men...
By Alexandra Sifferlin
August 10, 2017
4 Ways Going to the Doctor Is Radically Changing
The future of health care in the U.S. is far from settled, but how people receive it now is also undergoing a revolution. Health records are antiquated, there's a shortage of primary care physicians and...
By Alexandra Sifferlin
August 8, 2017
This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Taking Birth Control Pills
'A lot of the changes women see go back to the reason they were taking birth control in the first place'
By Kathleen Mulpeter / Health.com
June 29, 2017
More Than Half of Teens Are Having Sex and Most Use Birth Control
Just over half of American teenagers are sexually active, and most report using some form of contraception, according to new research. The study from the National Center for Health Statistics found that 55% of teens...
By Alexandra Sifferlin
June 22, 2017
Birth Control Pills Recalled Because Packaging Error Could Lead to Unintended Pregnancy
Placebo pills were mixed up with active pills
By Kate Samuelson
June 9, 2017
46 Secular Companies That Don't Want to Cover Employees' Birth Control
As President Trump prepares to roll back an Affordable Care Act provision
By Samantha Cooney
May 31, 2017
Access to Birth Control Is Not a Religious Debate
‘Coverage is a matter of economic justice’
By Jessica González-Rojas
May 23, 2017
You Can Now Get Plan B From a Vending Machine at This California University
‘I feel like every college should have this’
By Julie Mazziotta / People
April 24, 2017
Everything You Need to Know Before Getting An IUD
For all women using birth control, the effectiveness of various methods is a key factor in the decision-making process. Beyond that, however, the choice gets personal. Some women focus on how much hassle is required...
By Alexandra Sifferlin
April 20, 2017
50 Years Ago This Week: How Birth Control Changed Everything
Also in this issue: Weight Watchers and private detectives
By Lily Rothman
April 3, 2017
Lena Dunham Says Birth Control 'Makes Me Feel Really Safe'
‘It’s such a big part of regulating my body’
By Julie Mazziotta / People
March 29, 2017
This Week in Health: Have More Sex, Eat Soy, Do Zumba
We thought we knew a lot about sex and exercise, but this week proved there's still a lot to learn. Here’s what else grabbed our attention in health this week. Here's how much sex you...
By Alexandra Sifferlin
March 10, 2017
Access to Most Effective Birth Control Could Save $12 Billion a Year
According to a new study
By Alexandra Sifferlin
March 8, 2017
Access to Most Effective Birth Control Could Save $12 Billion a Year: Study
In recent decades the U.S. has seen a drop in the rate of unintended pregnancies, thanks in part to women using more effective and long-acting birth control methods, like the IUD or the implant. Still,...
By Alexandra Sifferlin
March 8, 2017
How These States Are Fighting to Protect Reproductive Rights
Amid uncertainty over the future of reproductive health care coverage in the U.S.
By Alexandra Sifferlin
February 8, 2017
Male Birth Control Gel Works in Monkeys
It was a small study, but the results were pretty remarkable
By Alexandra Sifferlin
February 6, 2017
After President Trump, More Women Express Interest in IUDs
'The morning after the election we had an immediate uptick in calls'
By Alexandra Sifferlin
January 26, 2017
More Women Are Investing in IUDs after President Trump’s Election
IUD-related doctor visits rise for the first time in five years
By Alexandra Sifferlin
January 26, 2017
What Does My Period Blood Say About Me?
Its color, volume and texture can all hint at aspects of your health
By Markham Heid
November 16, 2016
You Asked: What Does My Period Say About Me?
Its color, volume and texture can all hint at aspects of your health.
By Markham Heid
November 16, 2016
How Planned Parenthood Changed Everything
The first birth-control clinic in the U.S. opened 100 years ago, on Oct. 16, 1916
By Charlotte Alter
October 14, 2016
Your Birth Control Pill Might Raise Your Depression Risk
Some of the highest risks were in teenage girls
By Amanda MacMillan / Health.com
October 4, 2016
Here's Why the World Isn't Ready for Tesla's Autopilot
These are today's best ideas
By The Aspen Institute
July 15, 2016
Turkey's President Calls Childess Women 'Incomplete'
He also said that the business world was not "an alternative” to motherhood
By Casey Quackenbush
June 6, 2016
Turkey's Erdogan Says Family Planning Not for Muslims
"We need to increase the number of our descendants"
By Simon Lewis
May 30, 2016
Top U.S. Health Official Warns of Zika's Spread
"There is no magic bullet here," says CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden
By Alexandra Sifferlin
April 21, 2016
Why We Should Send Our Kids Outside to Play
These are today's best ideas
By The Aspen Institute
March 28, 2016
Read Emma Goldman's 1916 Letter Defending the Need for Birth Control
'When a law has outgrown time and necessity, it must go'
By Lily Rothman
February 11, 2016
Some Young Women Aren’t Counseled About Birth Control When They Really Need It: Study
When young women are prescribed medications that can cause birth defects, many aren't counseled about the need for contraceptives, finds a new study
By Alexandra Sifferlin
January 15, 2016
Philippines: Cuts to Contraception Funding Slammed
Lack of contraceptives could increase risk of HIV epidemic, critics say
By Rishi Iyengar
January 12, 2016
Birth Control Pill Not Linked To Birth Defects: Study
A new study finds oral contraceptive use shortly before or during pregnancy are unlikely to result in birth defects.
By Alexandra Sifferlin
January 6, 2016
How Women Secretly Won the Hobby Lobby Fight
*Correction appended January 6, 2016 to reflect that Susan Collins chairs the Select Committee on Aging. When the Supreme Court handed down the Hobby Lobby decision, allowing companies to deny women insurance coverage of certain...
By Jay Newton-Small
January 6, 2016
Why Over-the-Counter Birth Control Is Stalled
Despite new state laws
By Charlotte Alter
December 23, 2015
California, Oregon Pharmacists to Prescribe Birth Control
The laws will be implemented over the next few months.
By Alexandra Sifferlin
November 23, 2015
Women Sue Birth Control Company Over Unwanted Pregnancies
They say the birth control pills were incorrectly packaged
By Tessa Berenson
November 12, 2015
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