Family Planning & Birth Control

Montefiore’s family planning specialists in the Institute for Women's Health, Genetics and Human Reproduction strive to provide women of all ages with caring, up-to-date gynecological and family planning services. We are especially proud of our expertise in cutting-edge techniques.

Multiple birth control choices

We offer the full range of birth control options available today. Those choices include:

• Condoms
• IUDs
• Diaphragms
• Vaginal contraceptive rings
• Depo-Provera shots
• Birth control patches
• Birth control pills
• Emergency contraception (or the “morning-after pill”)
• Tubal ligation

Our experienced and compassionate doctors and midwives help our patients make informed decisions about their reproductive health and birth control needs. We recommend the most convenient, efficient and cost-effective birth control options for each woman, given her overall health, lifestyle and family planning considerations.

Expertise in a non-operative permanent procedure

Those women who seek permanent birth control are counseled about the benefits of a groundbreaking, non-operative procedure known as Essure. This safe and convenient option is appropriate for over 90 percent of all women. It is particularly beneficial for women with health concerns, such as obesity, that may cause them to seek less invasive treatments. Essure is also extremely effective. In three years of results collected nationally, women with successful procedures reported no pregnancies.

To undergo the procedure, patients require only local anesthesia and anti-inflammatory medication. Soft, flexible implants are placed in the openings of the fallopian tubes to form a tissue barrier that permanently prevents pregnancy. Patients generally experience little more pain than during a normal menstrual cycle and can go home within one hour of the procedure. Most women are back to work the next day.

Montefiore has established expertise in this procedure and has the distinction of being a designated training site for it. We are one of the few centers in the New York metropolitan area to offer Essure in-office and we have treated more patients in-office since 2003 than anywhere in the country. Our leadership in the field was acknowledged with a fellowship from Conceptus, the company that manufactures Essure, to complete research on the benefits of conducting the treatment in-office and to develop further applications.

Commitment to education

Montefiore’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health main office is located within the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, which has faculty members devoted to studying and teaching about women's health issues. This means our physicians are experts in the latest women's health and family planning advancements, which directly benefits all of our patients. Plans are also underway to establish a family planning fellowship to further expand our knowledge.

© 2008 Montefiore Medical Center