Everyone should get to choose if, when and how they get pregnant. Family planning clinics can help families and individuals of all genders plan a course of action that works best for them.
If you want to prevent or delay pregnancy, you can access many contraception (birth control) options at Maryland Family Planning Program (MFPP) clinics throughout the state. Pregnancy testing is also available if you are not sure if you are pregnant. Services are free or affordable and you can also use your insurance, including Medicaid, at all of the clinic locations. Insurance is not required and no one is ever turned away based on ability to pay.
If you are thinking about or trying to have a baby, planning ahead is a great way to achieve your goals and experience a healthy pregnancy. You can talk to a family planning provider at a MFPP clinic about creating a reproductive life plan. A reproductive life plan can help you think about and decide:
- Do you want children? If you already have a child, do you want more children?
- Where do you want to be in five years? Do you have school or work goals?
- What steps do you need to take to achieve your goals?
Women, men, trans and nonbinary people can all benefit from reproductive life planning and obtaining preconception health care. Preconception health care simply means medical care that an individual can receive that increases their chances of conceiving and having a healthy baby. Some topics that could be addressed at a preconception health visit include:
- Reproductive life planning
- Medical history
- Chronic illness
- Diet and nutrition
- Folic acid supplementation
- Use of medications
- Birth control needs
- Use of tobacco, alcohol, and/or other drugs
- Emotional health
- Exercise
Based on your unique health needs, a health care professional can suggest treatment and/or follow up care as necessary.
If you have been trying to get pregnant but have not yet gotten pregnant, a family planning provider can offer fertility awareness education and counseling. Fertility awareness education can help you better understand your body, how to track when becoming pregnant is possible, and how to maximize fertility. You can also use this education to avoid pregnancy, if that is desired.
In addition to talking to a family planning provider, you can review the below resources:
