Since the popularization of birth control in the 1960s, an increasing number of products have become available to the public.

Malhar Gor‚, physician at the Student Health Center, said abstinence is the only form of birth control that is 100 percent effective, but people should be aware of how effective other forms of birth control are.

Gor‚ described the male condom as good and the female condom as fair, in respect to their abilities to prevent pregnancy.

“[The female condom] is not the best but it is better than nothing,” he said.

Gor‚ said there are many effective forms of birth control currently available.

“The most effective form of birth control is abstinence,” he said. “There are a combination of contraceptive pills.”

Birth control pills, mini pills (designed for women who are sensitive to estrogen) and birth control shots are all possible options for women, Gor‚ said. Copper intrauterine contraceptive devices, another option, are placed in the uterus, he said.

“There is a new contraceptive called Lunelle which is a monthly shot rather than the shot every three months,” Gor‚ said.

Denise Van, communication manager of Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, said Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of birth control, including “the morning after pill,” or emergency contraceptive pill.

“[The emergency contraceptive pill] is not Mifeprex (RU-486). Some people confuse EUP and RU-486, but they are not the same,” Van said.

The emergency contraceptive pill delays or inhibits fertilization – it is not effective if the woman is pregnant, so it will not cause a miscarriage or an abortion, Van said.

She said it must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex and the cost is $40 per dose.

Birth control services aren’t free at Planned Parenthood and contraceptives differ significantly in price. Van said condoms cost 35 cents, birth control pills are $20, and an intrauterine device is $400.

“We are a business, but no one is ever turned away for an inability to pay and we do have discounts based on your financial need,” Van said. “We take insurance and many insurance plans now pay for prescribed contraceptives.”

Gor‚ said the types of birth control have evolved over the years to provide more effective methods of preventing pregnancy.

“The types of hormones in the specific tablets have changed and the amount of hormones have changed quite significantly,” he said. “The first type of birth control used more hormones and now, after research, they have found out they did not need as much hormones to produce better results.”