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When used correctly, birth control options should work just as well and quickly as they did before the baby. There are several options that women can start using immediately after giving birth, which we’ll list out below. But some forms of birth control can take several weeks to be effective — so it’s important to use a backup method like a condom.
Also, not all methods are safe or fully effective for all women. For instance, the sponge and cervical cap are less effective in preventing pregnancies for people who have given birth vaginally. According to Planned Parenthood, the cervical cap is 86% effective for those who have never given birth, versus 71% effective for those who have.
On average, non-breastfeeding women begin ovulating about five to six weeks after birth, but it’s possible to become pregnant as early as three weeks after birth. Because of this possibility, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends using birth control in the weeks after you have a baby to avoid unintended pregnancies. Dr. Shivani Patel of UT Southwestern Center even suggests women who are near the end of their pregnancies discuss birth control options with their doctors in order to be better prepared.
We’ll go through some of the major birth control options to help you find one most suitable to you.
Birth control methods that can be started after birth
Most women can start one of these birth control options immediately after birth:
- Contraceptive implant (a thin plastic rod inserted under the skin of your upper arm)
- Intrauterine contraceptives or IUDs (hormonal or copper T-shaped devices put into your uterus)
- Contraceptive injection (lasts for about 3 months)
- Progestin-only pill (also known as the “mini pill,” should be taken every day at the same time)
- Condoms
The methods listed above are also safe options for breastfeeding moms.
Long-acting, reversible contraceptives
Long-acting, reversible contraceptives, or LARCs — specifically the implant and IUD — are often suggested as the most effective birth control (more than 99% effective) for postpartum women. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, contraceptive implants are effective for three years, while IUDs are effective for 3 to 10 years. Both can be taken out earlier.
“Placing them right after the birth of a baby in the hospital streamlines women’s access to contraception, reduces the hassles of appointments in the weeks and months following birth, and lowers the risk of unintended pregnancy and pregnancies that occur sooner than planned,” writes Dr. Hope Ricciotti on the Harvard Health Blog.
Like Dr. Ricciotti, many doctors advise having an IUD placed immediately after birth, but there’s a higher risk of the IUD being expelled. Doctors may also advise women wait until their four- to six-week postpartum checkup, when the uterus returns to normal size, to have their IUD placed.
Postpartum risks of birth control pills
While progestin-only pills are safe to use right away after birth, women are advised not to use combined hormonal contraceptives (contains estrogen and progestin) for at least three weeks after delivery. That’s because during the postpartum period, women have a higher risk of developing blood clots in the deep veins, or venous thromboembolism (VTE). The combined pill would increase the risk.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), postpartum women who are breastfeeding or who are at risk of VTE are advised not to start the combined pill until at least six weeks after delivery. The estrogen in the combination pill (as well as other methods that use estrogen, like some vaginal rings and the patch) may decrease milk supply for nursing moms, so the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests not using the contraceptive until your milk supply is firmly established.
Permanent methods of contraception
If you’re absolutely sure you’re done having children and feel your family is complete, couples can decide for one partner to be sterilized.
The main sterilization options are:
- Tubal ligation (female): Also known as having your “tubes tied,” your fallopian tubes are clamped to prevent fertilization. This can be done immediately after birth at the hospital or at least several weeks to months after having a baby.
- Essure (female): Essure sterilization doesn’t require an incision. Instead a doctor puts an insert into each fallopian tube, and your body naturally grows tissue around the coils over time. According to Planned Parenthood, Essure won’t start preventing pregnancies for at least three months. (Note: The company, Bayer, voluntarily discontinued sales of Essure in the US after December 2018.)
- Vasectomy (male): Surgery on the tubes that carry the sperm out of the testicles are cut. It takes about two to four months for semen to be completely free of sperm.
