Did you know that you can subscribe to my weekly Contraception Newsletter? It's free and is delivered straight to your email. I received the following question from one of my newsletter's subscribers. This question has to do with birth control pills and is probably one of the most common questions that my readers ask me.

Leigh wanted to know the following,
"Help! My fiancé has planned a super-romantic get-a-way for the two of us over Christmas...the only problem, according to my calculations, I should be having my period during that time. I am currently on the pill. I've heard that women can skip their periods using the pill, is this safe? If so, how do you do it?"

Good news Leigh - women can definitely skip their periods while using combination birth control pills, basically by beginning your next pack of pills during the start of your placebo week. Also, you will be happy to know that doing this is perfectly safe!

• How To Skip Your Period Using The Pill
• The Safety of Skipping Periods

Also of Interest:

• Using NuvaRing to Skip Your Period
• Skip Your Period Using the Ortho Evra Patch

_{Birth Control Pills Photo © 2008 Dawn Stacey}

According to the latest report by the Guttmacher Institute, the average American woman, who wants two children, spends about five years pregnant, postpartum or trying to become pregnant, and three decades (more than 3/4ths of her reproductive life) trying to avoid pregnancy. In 2006:

• There were 66.4 million women in the US of reproductive age US
• More than half (36.2) of these women were in need of contraceptive services and supplies
• Of the 36.2 million who needed birth control, 17.5 million were in need of publicly funded services and supplies because they either had an income below 250% of the federal poverty level or were younger than 20

The importance of publicly funded family planning centers can be seen in the fact that one-quarter of US women and half of poor women all received care at publicly funded family planning centers in 2006. Publicly funded family planning services help women to avoid pregnancies they do not want and to plan pregnancies they do. In 2006, these services helped women avoid 1.94 million unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 860,000 unintended births and 810,000 abortions.

• What Qualifies as Contraception?
• Why Use Contraception?
• Online Birth Control Glossary

Read the Full Guttmacher Institute Report: Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the United States

_{Photo Courtesy of Keith Brofsky/Getty Images}

Hope you all had a fun Halloween. Now that the holiday has passed, most people expect the haunting and tricks to be over. If, however, you are facing an unintended pregnancy  and try to seek help from a crisis pregnancy center, beware that you may encounter some mischief. These pregnancy centers may offer free pregnancy tests and appear to provide support about abortion, adoption, and pregnancy options, but many crisis pregnancy centers may be deceptive and misleading.

• Before You Seek Support From a Crisis Pregnancy Center

• Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Services and Agendas
• History of Crisis Pregnancy Centers
• Major Complaints Against Crisis Pregnancy Centers and Efforts to Protect Women

The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy is a book that empowers pregnant women by emphasizing the importance of knowledge during a pregnancy. This pregnancy guide provides information about how to seek the best prenatal care. Topics range from healthcare issues to pregnancy statistics and there is a helpful section on teen pregnancy. This is a comprehensive book that yields valuable information (that may not be obvious) for pregnant women to consider.

Read my review of this book and add your own review as well!

Book Review: Smart Mother's Guide

According to a study published in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, about 50% of all unplanned pregnancies occur while women were actually using contraception during the month that they conceived. One of the main reasons that contribute to birth control failure is user error. Before you take it, do you read the package insert of a new prescription medication? If you are finding yourself asking, Huh? There is an information sheet in my prescription box...read on!

One question that I am often emailed about often is whether or not it is okay to use antibiotics while on the pill. There are several types of medication and/or supplements that can decrease the effectiveness of the birth control pill. Its important to keep in mind, these same medications also can compromise the success rate of other hormonal birth control methods as well - such as the NuvaRing, OrthoEvra Patch, Depo Provera Shot, and Mirena IUD.

• Know what medications could compromise your contraception, and make sure to use a back-up method (like a condom or the sponge) if you have to use one of them.

  It is also a good idea to check with your health-care provider before taking a new medication just to make sure that it does not lower your birth control's effectiveness.

  _{Birth Control Pill Photo © 2009 Dawn Stacey}

What is your family planning goal for right now? Hmmm? Perhaps you may wish to delay having a child for a while, or maybe you want to get pregnant now (or some point in the near future)? Whatever your answer is to these questions, understanding natural family planning (or NFP) may be of some assistance. Fertility awareness teaches you how to identify the natural fertility signs that your body reveals. In a sense, it's the natural language spoken by a woman's body!

• What is Natural Family Planning?
• Natural Contraceptive Methods
• Book Review: Taking Chage of your Fertility
• Effectiveness of Natural Birth Control Methods

_{NFP Chart Photo © 2007 DELC}

Hormonal birth control  tends to be enormously popular due to its ease of use  and effectiveness. These contraceptives use estrogen and/or progestin to help prevent ovulation. Like other contraception, hormonal birth control has common side effects as well as some medical risk factors. There are also many myths about these methods, so I put together a list of the most common questions that I receive about hormonal birth control. If you are considering one of these methods (or are even currently on one), hopefully, you will have a better undertsanding of what hormonal birth control is (and isn't), how it works, and common concerns about these methods.

• Top Questions About Hormonal Birth Control

_{Hormonal Birth Control Photo © 2008 Dawn Stacey}

Did you know that approximately 50% of all unintended pregnancies  occur while women are using contraception?

Not only do you need to know how to use your contraceptive, but you also should know how effective it is. A common problem people face is understanding the effectiveness of birth control. To make it more complicated, statistics are cited as failure rates, effectiveness, typical rates, perfect user rates, and the list goes on. It is easy to see how confusing this can be. So how do you get your facts straight?

• Take a Look - did the birth control method you thought earn the highest effectiveness rate?
• Available Birth Control Methods

_{Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office Online}

It seems that many people may have misconceptions about IUDs. Kerry emailed me with the following questions, "I have had the Mirena IUD for almost 5 years, so it is time to have it removed. I was wondering if I left it in, will it eventually disintegrate? Also, if I do need to have it removed, will the removal hurt as much as the insertion?

First of all, please know that IUDs, whether the ParaGard or Mirena must eventually be removed, since IUDs do not dissolve and, for the most part, will not come out on their own. It is especially important that women should never try to remove an IUD by themselves or ask an unqualified person (like a spouse or partner) to do so as this could cause serious damage.

The good news, an IUD removal procedure is often easier, less painful, and quicker than the insertion of one.

• What To Expect During an IUD Removal
• Share Your Story: What Is Your IUD Removal or IUD Insertion Experience?

More IUD Information

• Watch This Short Video: How Intrauterine Devices Work
• Share Your Reason: What Led You to Choose an IUD?
• Do I Need to Have My IUD Removed if I Switch Sexual Partners?

| Follow Me on Twitter | Newsletter Signup | Contraception Forum |

_{IUD Photo © 2008 Dawn Stacey}

Well, Halloween is just around the corner. If you are looking for an extra-spooktacular Halloween treat, why not try a glow-in-the dark condom? Different condom types can add a novel twist to your Halloween lovemaking. Condoms can come in various flavors (even chocolate and vanilla) - nobody said you had to get candy for trick-or-treating fun. There are even orange and black condoms to keep with the Halloween theme. Halloween celebrations do not have to be limited to the kids - see what "treats" you can find in your local store to spice up this spooky holiday.

• Different Condom Styles and Types: From Glow-in-the-Dark Condoms to Flavored Ones
• How To Put a Condom on with Your Mouth
• Before You Buy Condoms

_{Condom Photo © 2009 Dawn Stacey}