Raising a family can certainly be a joyful experience. Still, it’s not for everyone — and it’s a challenging responsibility that should only be undertaken when you know you’re ready. Family planning helps individuals and couples map their futures based on their unique goals.
At Desert Star Institute for Family Planning, DeShawn Taylor, MD, MSc, FACOG, and her team offer comprehensive family planning services to help you map out your healthy future. Here’s what she recommends to help you create a strategy that works for your goals and your lifestyle.
Since family planning focuses a lot on how many children you want to have, if any, it’s not surprising that a lot of family planning strategies center on the type of birth control method you want to use. Dr. Taylor offers an array of birth control methods, so you can select the method that suits your family planning goals, as well as your lifestyle and your personal preferences.
When considering contraception, it’s also important to think about your lifestyle. Some products, like oral contraceptives or diaphragms, require you to remember to use them — and to use them appropriately — regularly. Other options, like implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs), require far less interaction from you.
There are also both hormonal and non-hormonal methods, depending on your preferences. Some birth control methods, like tubal ligation or vasectomy, offer permanent options for people who don’t plan on having children in the future. At the same time, other contraceptives are reversible, meaning you can still have children once the method is halted.
For couples planning to have children in the future, it’s also important to ensure both partners are as healthy as possible before conception. Dr. Taylor offers preconception health services as part of family planning, tailoring treatments and recommendations to each person’s health profile, lifestyle, risk factors, and more.
Preconception health services can help reduce pregnancy-related issues, like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and issues that increase the risks of premature birth or stillbirth. They also help prepare a woman’s body for healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
Most services include steps like nutritional counseling, weight loss when needed, chronic disease management, and lifestyle changes, like quitting smoking or adopting a pattern of regular exercise. Dr. Taylor also offers screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs or STDs) to help diagnose and treat infections prior to—or even during—pregnancy.
Infertility is a surprisingly common problem for millions of people, with fertility issues affecting women and men equally. While sometimes, fertility issues are temporary and treatable with lifestyle changes, like adequate rest and stress management, some fertility issues require medical intervention.
Dr. Taylor performs exams and evaluations to help identify the root cause of fertility problems. In addition to providing infertility counseling and care at her practice, she can refer couples to specialists for more advanced fertility treatments to help couples conceive successfully.
Even with careful planning, unintended pregnancy can happen. Counseling helps you understand your options so you feel confident in your choice.
Dr. Taylor provides support and education to support informed decision-making. She also offers abortion services for those who decide to terminate a pregnancy.
Family planning provides important resources for anyone who wants to take control of their reproductive health and their future. To learn more about our family planning services, request an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Taylor and the team at Desert Star Family Planning in Phoenix, Arizona, today.
