Contraception
Methods used to prevent pregnancy, including barrier, hormonal, intrauterine, emergency, and permanent options.
Exam items rarely ask “what is the best method” — they hand you a history with a red flag and make you screen for contraindications using the CDC US Medical Eligibility Criteria (US MEC), where a category 4 condition is an “unacceptable health risk.” The classic tells — history of DVT/PE, a known clotting disorder (thrombophilia), or current breast cancer — all make estrogen-containing combined methods category 4, so the safe answer is usually a progestin-only pill, the implant, or a copper IUD. Watch the trap: for the clotting flags a levonorgestrel IUD also works, but for current breast cancer the LNG-IUD is itself category 4 — pick the copper IUD there. In the first ~6 weeks postpartum, especially while breastfeeding, estrogen is also avoided (VTE plus milk-supply concerns), so progestin-only is the pick.
Don’t confuse this with counseling (guiding the choice), broader wellness (lifestyle), or prenatal care (once pregnancy exists). And remember: a hormonal or IUD user still needs condoms for STI protection. Memory hook — “clots and cancer flag estrogen”; go progestin-only (copper IUD if cancer).
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