Contraception
Every method with its real failure rate – and which one fits your life. This practice focuses on coils: hormonal, copper and gold.
There is no best method of contraception, only the one that fits your life. For a woman who can think of a pill every day, the pill is reliable; for one who cannot, it is not – with typical use, seven in a hundred women become pregnant on the pill each year, with a coil fewer than one. The difference lies not in the strength of the drug but in everyday life. That is what this overview is about.
The methods. Hormonal: combined pill, progestogen-only pill, vaginal ring, patch, three-monthly injection, implant and the hormonal coil. Hormone-free: copper and gold coil, condom, diaphragm and the symptothermal method. All of them stand side by side in the contraception comparison with their real failure rates – with typical, not perfect use – together with cost, effort and what they do to your bleeding.
The focus of this practice is on coils. The hormonal coil (Jaydess, Kyleena, Mirena), the copper and the gold coil are inserted here in a two-step procedure: first a consultation and pre-examination with ultrasound and swabs, then the insertion appointment. That separation is why insertion is quick and as painless as possible. Which coil suits whom is shown by the IUD comparison; the overview IUD & coils explains the basics.
When something goes wrong. A missed pill is the commonest cause of uncertainty, and the right answer depends on which pill it is and in which week. The tool Missed a pill – what now? answers that for your situation. Emergency contraception – the morning-after pill or a copper coil – is available without prescription in Austria, or at short notice at the practice.
What the consultation does. History, bleeding pattern, family planning, smoking, migraine, thrombosis in the family – from these follows which methods are an option at all. At the end there is a decision, not a table. The practice is a private (Wahlarzt) practice; the amounts are listed under Fees. Make an appointment.
Calculators for this topic
Reliability, hormones, effort and cost of every common method – filtered by your criteria.
IUD comparisonHormonal and copper coils with size, duration, effect on bleeding and price.
Missed a pill – what now?Three questions, one clear answer – including whether emergency contraception is needed.
Articles
The only reversible method as reliable in practice as on paper – and an honest answer to the question about fitting.
JaydessThe smallest coil with the least hormone – often the first one. Why three years is sometimes exactly the right duration.
KyleenaThe most frequently chosen hormonal coil: as small as Jaydess, effective for five years.
MirenaThe largest and longest-lasting hormonal coil – and the only one that also treats heavy periods and serves in hormone …
The hormonal coilThe most reliable reversible contraception – and at the same time a treatment for heavy bleeding.
Frequently asked questions
Which contraception is the most reliable?
The methods where nothing can be forgotten in everyday life: the implant, the hormonal coil and the copper coil. Their failure rates are below one per cent a year – with perfect and with typical use alike, because there is no difference between the two.
Can I have a coil if I have never given birth?
Yes. The idea that a coil is only for women who have completed their family is out of date. The small hormonal coils Jaydess and Kyleena with their thin insertion tube were developed precisely for women who have not given birth.
What does contraception cost in Austria?
Contraceptives themselves are not covered by public insurance. The pill costs roughly five to fifteen euros a month depending on the brand; a coil costs 500 to 750 euros for its whole lifespan of three to eight years – per year, the coil is usually cheaper.
Can I use contraception while breastfeeding?
Yes, with all progestogen-only and all hormone-free methods: progestogen-only pill, implant, hormonal coil, copper coil, condom. Oestrogen-containing methods such as the combined pill are not an option in the first months. A coil is usually inserted twelve weeks after the birth.
How quickly am I fertile again after stopping?
After the pill, ring, patch, implant and coil, immediately – a pregnancy is possible in the very first cycle. The exception is the three-monthly injection: after it, the cycle can take up to a year to return.