More than half of the pregnancies in the US are accidental. People need a birth control guide. The pill is not always our best option, although it remains the most popular choice for people using non-surgical birth control. As an alternative, I’d like to see the US follow the birth control trends of Europe and China who prefer the IUD. The IUD can be hormone free, used for emergency contraception, and worn for 5-10+ years.

The birth control pill, often called the pill, offers a fascinating snapshot of how a teeny tiny dose of a lab-made chemical hormone can have a complex impact on the body. It’s a useful model for beginning to understand the power of hormones.