If you've heard this going around the rumor mill, don't give it any attention. Being on birth control does not decrease your fertility, however other factors, including age, do. Therefore, if you've been on birth control for the majority of your child-bearing years, yes, your chances of becoming pregnant are lower than they were when you first got on birth control, however, it is by no means due to being on birth control. "One of the ways birth control works is by putting your ovaries to sleep (for lack of a better way of explaining it) and preventing ovulation (the release of eggs for fertilization)," explains Hunter. "Most women return to fertility rather quickly, within a matter of months (with the exception of the Depo-Provera shot, which may take even longer), after getting off birth control."

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Birth control does a great job of preventing pregnancy but has no involvement in preventing sexually transmitted diseases. For this reason and many more, practicing safe sex is a must to ensure you're healthy. "You also need to use a barrier method (such as condoms) to help prevent against sexually transmitted disease," says Julia Kavanagh, M.D., Internal Medicine Physician at UCHealth. If you haven't been tested, or have recently been with a new partner, consider scheduling an appointment with your OB/GYN or primary care provider.

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"LARC, Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives, which include the IUDs and implant, are the most effective forms of reversible birth control currently available to women, but they are severely underutilized, with only 11.6 percent of women using them," says Hunter. "Although this number increased 2.4 percent from 10 years earlier, it is still staggeringly low." One of the reasons for this low number is because of provider discomfort during placement, but the majority is due to lack of understanding on the patient's part, she says. "Many patients think they have to have had a baby before to be able to get LARC, but this is not true."

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In rare cases, some people may experience infection upon placement or long after. "One recent study did find that women with IUDs are slightly more likely to have bacterial vaginosis, or BV, but not because of the IUD," says Rebecca Levy-Gantt, MD, OB/GYN, at Premier ObGyn Napa Inc., in Napa, California. "It is likely because they are not using condoms because they are not worried about pregnancy." If infection occurs, it's best to treat the infection with the IUD in place, rather than remove it.

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This is untrue. Most emergency contraception, or EC, can be taken within 72 hours or up to five days after unprotected sex. But the sooner you take it the better it works. "Some emergency contraceptives are sold in the United States without a prescription," says Kavanagh. "A copper T IUD also can serve as emergency contraception if placed within five days of unprotected intercourse."

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