# What is the best form of birth control? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 23, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691 "2012-02-23T03:27:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SDMBKL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdmbkl/32/7297_2.png) [@SDMBKL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDMBKL)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/1 "2012-02-23T03:27:14Z")
Choose an option from the poll. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/2 "2012-02-23T13:53:24Z")
What does “best” mean? Most effective? Most convenient? Most available? Cheapest? Least side effects? Least instrusive on sex life? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/3 "2012-02-23T13:57:29Z")
Abortion. Definitely abortion. ---
**Author:** ![SDMBKL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdmbkl/32/7297_2.png) [@SDMBKL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDMBKL)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/4 "2012-02-23T14:18:02Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > What does “best” mean? Most effective? Most convenient? Most available? Cheapest? Least side effects? Least instrusive on sex life? Well, since this poll is _in_ the “In My Humble Opinion” forum, I would assume that you are basing your option on your opinions after you have weighted all the benefits and downsides of each option. Also, please note that it is a multiple-choice poll, where you have multiple choices and can choose more than one choice. So, whatever is most effective, most convenient, most available, cheapest, carries the least side effects, or less intrusive on sex life, in your humble opinion, with your reasons, should be chosen. The reason why I put it here is that I realize this is a very subjective subject, and people do have different measurements (as you have pointed out) to weight certain choices over others. Because people are using different measurements, the interpretation of the word “best” is most likely going to be different, from individual to individual. One person may find this choice to be the “best”, because it suits his or her needs and desires, whereas another person may find that choice to be the “best”, because it suits his or her needs and desires. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/5 "2012-02-23T14:24:14Z")
I wish to register a complaint – well, really point out a flaw – in your poll. You ask for “the best” but then give us the option to choose more than one. Therefore, I choose that they are all equally the best. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/6 "2012-02-23T14:29:29Z")
Don’t you kneed aspirin on there? Wow, total abstinence is off to a strong start. While I agree that’s _pretty effective_, for a lot of individuals and couples alike it’s not very practical (read: likely.) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/7 "2012-02-23T14:36:04Z")
The best form of birth control is whatever works and will be used by the couple (or triple or whatever) in question. For my partner and me, it’s a combination of FAM and withdrawal and outercourse, only two of which are on your list. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/8 "2012-02-23T15:46:33Z")
Anti-_what_ vaccine? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/9 "2012-02-23T15:48:43Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Wow, total abstinence is off to a strong start. While I agree that’s _pretty effective_, for a lot of individuals and couples alike it’s not very practical (read: likely.) Well, it obviously depends on how the voters are defining “best”. It absolutely works…it just doesn’t lend itself terribly well to actual, y’know, sex. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/10 "2012-02-23T21:07:49Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Anti-_what_ vaccine? As far as I know, this has never reached the stages of human trials in the US, much less been approved by the FDA. I believe India was the hotspot for this public relations disaster. I don’t know if it was ever approved there. > **[11.The\_Anti-Fertility\_Vaccine\_that\_Never\_Was.pdf](https://www.chidicon.com/files/11.The_Anti-Fertility_Vaccine_that_Never_Was.pdf)** > > 36.98 KB ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/11 "2012-02-23T21:26:09Z")
Having a couple kids of your own. Once you realize that each one will cost about a quarter of a million dollars to raise to maturity, it moderates your behaviour. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/12 "2012-02-23T21:28:22Z")
One Doper voted for each and every method, including both abstinence _and_ withdrawal. Makin’ a point there, dude? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/13 "2012-02-23T21:34:14Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > One Doper voted for each and every method, including both abstinence _and_ withdrawal. Makin’ a point there, dude? Sort of … > [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I wish to register a complaint – well, really point out a flaw – in your poll. You ask for “the best” but then give us the option to choose more than one. > > Therefore, I choose that they are all equally the best. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/14 "2012-02-23T21:38:13Z")
I always thought that both parties going to college was the best way to reduce the overall number of babies. Education rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/15 "2012-02-23T21:53:14Z")
Best form of birth control = abstinence. Best for of birth control _while still engaging in sex_ = whatever the person in question will actually use. I was on the pill until I decided to have a kid. After having my son, I used fertility awareness/natural family planning methods for 4 years. When I realized I didn’t want any more kids, I had a tubal ligation. All three of those methods worked perfectly for me, especially the last one. ---
**Author:** ![SDMBKL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdmbkl/32/7297_2.png) [@SDMBKL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDMBKL)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/16 "2012-02-23T22:02:19Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I wish to register a complaint – well, really point out a flaw – in your poll. You ask for “the best” but then give us the option to choose more than one. > > Therefore, I choose that they are all equally the best. There is no flaw. “The best” can mean _one_ individual object or _one set_ of individual objects, such as “The Best Schools”. And yes, I give you the option to choose more than one option, and you do so accordingly, which demonstrates that all of the options, in your opinion, are “the best” and none is the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/17 "2012-02-23T22:31:40Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > Best form of birth control = abstinence. Nope. The _best_ would be suicide. There are however side effects. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/18 "2012-02-23T23:03:43Z")
> [@SDMBKL](#): > > There is no flaw. “The best” can mean _one_ individual object or _one set_ of individual objects, such as “The Best Schools”. And yes, I give you the option to choose more than one option, and you do so accordingly, which demonstrates that all of the options, in your opinion, are “the best” and none is the worst. Well, I was mostly just joking around, because of the whole superlative argument. Only one thing from a list can be the best thing (unless there’s a tie, I suppose). It’s like something being described as “most unique.” There are no degrees of “unique” or “best.” However, I did choose all, and I did proclaim all to be the best, and, by extension, none the worst, and then my Rhetoric professor from college dropped by and had me flogged … but mostly for comma abuse. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/19 "2012-02-24T01:06:09Z")
If you dont have sex you wont get pregnant. 100% effective ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691/20 "2012-02-24T01:10:36Z")
Your face. Ohhhh, snap. eta: generic you. Not directed at anyone. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-form-of-birth-control/613691.md?page=2)