Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: Money/Health

Media Credit: Abby Harvey Nurse practitioner Debbie Wright sits next to a colposcopy machine. The machine allows doctors to look directly at the cervix of a woman who has had abnormal pap test results.

The same contraceptive won't work for every woman. Birth control pills must be taken at the same time every day. The NuvaRing should be stored in a refrigerator before use. And both need to be replaced every month.

For this reason, UW-Eau Claire Student Health Services has added three new types of birth control to its lineup.

"I think choice is important," said Student Health Services nurse practitioner Debbie Wright. "There's a lot of things available out there to help prevent pregnancy. What works for one person doesn't always work for another, people have different preferences."

Among the new options are two types of intrauterine devices, ParaGard and Merena, and an epidermal implant, Implanon. Student Health Services has also expanded its services to include colposcopy examinations.

Freshman Jodi Kwarciany said students get contraceptives from Student Health Services because of its availability, convenience, privacy and inexpensiveness.

"I think it just creates an openness that a lot of students didn't have in high school living at home," she said. "It allows them to make more adult decisions about themselves."

IUDs are small, thin, implantable contraceptives placed inside the uterus to prevent pregnancy, Wright said.

Katharine Burnetp, vice president of patient services at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, added IUDs have a 99 percent effectiveness rate.

ParaGard, a copper IUD, is effective for 10 to 12 years, Burnetp said.

The benefit of the copper in ParaGard, Wright said, is that users will experience very regular periods. The drawback, she added, is women may experience heavy periods and more cramping.

Merena, a progesterone hormone IUD, is effective for up to five years. Both are ideal for students traveling abroad who don't have access to regular exams and monthly prescription refills, Wright said.

Although Merena users will have the benefit of less cramping and light bleeding, they often experience irregular bleeding, which many people don't like, Wright said.

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