Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS)

Student Health and Counseling Services has many excellent resources to assist you in all of your contraception and sexual health needs. Health information and advice are available to you by telephone, in person, by appointment with your chosen provider, and online. Please make use of us – it’s what we’re here for!

Student Health and Counseling Services encourages all students obtaining hormonal birth control for the first time to complete the online Birth Control Education (BCE) sessions before making a clinic visit. This is an excellent opportunity to learn in depth information about available contraceptive methods. Since contraception involves both partners, couples are encouraged to participate in the session together.

Online Birth Control Education

We hope that our Online Birth Control Education will assist you in making important decisions regarding the many choices in birth control and sexually transmitted disease prevention. This online resource includes important information about effective use of contraceptives, potential side effects of methods, back-up options, and additional resources/references. We also have information for you when a preferred method fails, cannot be used, or has not been used properly.

The following topics are covered in the Online Birth Control Education. Feel free to follow each topic in sequence using the navigation buttons at the bottom of each page or select the topics that you are interested in.

• The Women's Health Clinic & Well Woman Exam
• Menstrual Cycle & Fertility
• Choosing A Method
• Efficacy Chart
• Methods of Contraception
• Emergency Contraception
• Unintended Pregnancy
• Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Recommended Resources

• Planned Parenthood: Birth Control
• Managing Contraception: Choices