Of course, abstinence is the most effective form of birth control. Aside from abstinence, the predominate type of birth control used are oral contraceptives, often called “the pill.” These are quite effective when used as prescribed. They have the added benefit of making a woman’s period very predictable, light and shorter than a normal period.
The most effective form of reversible contraception that we have is the mirena IUD. These are also quite popular and that they decrease menstrual flow remarkably. They can also be removed at any time and can be used for up to 5 years. Often, when the 5 years have passed, we will remove the old IUD and replace it with a new one.