What are Family Planning Services?

At the core of family planning is the decision when and when not to have a baby. To that end, family planning offers a range of birth control and contraceptive devices, including emergency contraception, male and female sterilization, and the means to safely terminate a pregnancy. In addition to those services, family planning is also about pre-conceptual counseling so that women can determine if they are ready to start a family.

How Do I Talk to My Partner About Not Getting Pregnant Right Away?

The conversation should begin with your doctor. Your doctor can prescribe birth control or contraceptive devices that will keep you from becoming pregnant. You and your partner can also start pre-conceptual counseling, where a conversation about having a family occurs in the presence of a trained therapist. Dr. Sivkin is the only licensed sex therapist in the entire state of Connecticut. The focus of therapy is so that both you and your partner understand that pregnancy is not something that a couple enters into lightly and that the choice of that decision is for both partners, not just that of the man.

What are the Options for Birth Control for a Woman Who Is in a Committed Relationship but Who Does Not Want to Become Pregnant?

There are many options for birth control and contraception that would work in a monogamous relationship, giving a couple the freedom to enjoy sex whenever they want without the hassle of using condoms or taking pills. Several of those choices include three or five year IUDs that use hormones to help prevent pregnancy. There is traditional birth control too. If you are done having children, then sterilization is an option.

We Don't Want More Children. Is Now the Time for Tubal Ligation?

Possibly. That decision is not something to enter into lightly. While there is a reverse surgery, the revision is not guaranteed. There are also other options that can help and are 99 percent effective against pregnancy and that last for upwards of five years.