What exactly is family planning?
Based on the name of the service, it is easy to confuse this topic with trying to have a baby, but it's a much broader subject. At Woman's First Choice, this service is about making smart decisions that affect your life and body. This includes deciding when it the right time to have a baby or maybe a second one, and what kind of birth control works best to avoid a pregnancy. It can even include managing medical problems that might interfere with a patient's ability to get pregnant safely, such as STDs.
What happens during a family planning appointment?
If it’s your first time in the office, your appointment will start with a basic checkup.
A staff member at Woman's First Choice will take your vital signs and get medical and family information.
The doctor may decide to do a physical exam including a pelvic at the same time.
The doctor will discuss lifestyle choices, birth control and other subjects that can help you meet your goals.
Why is STD screening part of family planning?
Some types of sexually transmitted diseases can cause infertility or affect the health of a baby or mother. It's important going into the planning stage to know if there are any underlying medical problems to consider. This is true for women looking to have a baby or start taking birth control to prevent one.
What kinds of birth control methods are available via family planning?
If the goal is to put off pregnancy, for now, the staff at Woman's First Choice can offer a wide variety of birth control options. They can discuss natural ways to avoid pregnancy or how to properly use over the counter products like condoms.
For patients looking for a medical form of birth control, there are:
- Birth control pills
- Long-lasting and reversible contraception: IUDs, implants, etc.
Woman's First Choice also offers medical abortions in the case of an unwanted pregnancy. The goal of family planning is to think ahead, so pregnancies come at the right time. Family planning puts women in control of their reproductive health whether they want multiple babies or they choose not to conceive.
