Join The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Bedsider, and me in saying, “Thanks, Birth Control” today! Birth control is a wonderful tool that helps us help our patients with family planning and other health issues.

All the reasons I️ say “thanks, birth control” on this day every year:

1. Thanks for fewer unplanned pregnancies (women using birth control carefully and consistently account for only 5% of all unplanned pregnancies).
2. Thanks for giving people the freedom to plan a family on their own terms.
3. Thanks for more economic opportunities for young women and men.
4. Thanks for greater educational attainment.
5. Thanks for improved maternal health.
6. Thanks for being so amazingly awesome that it is used by 99% of women who have had sex.
7. Thanks for helping build stronger families.
8. Thanks for being one of the nation’s top 10 greatest public health achievements of the last 100 years, according to the CDC.
9. Thanks for reduced public spending.
10. Thanks for fewer abortions.
11. Thanks for reminding us of something that has great bi-partisan support.
12. Thanks for building stronger relationships.
13. Thanks for fewer health disparities.
14. Thanks for less child poverty.
15. Thanks for helping countless individuals better plan for their future and realize their dreams.
16. Thanks for fewer low birth weight babies.
17. Thanks for being so darn cost effective (public funding for contraception saves nearly $6 in medical costs for every $1 spend on contraceptive services).
18. Thanks for saving countless panties and other clothing items from being stained by unregulated periods.
19. Thanks for helping women manage heavy and/or painful periods (and the resulting lost days from work, costs for feminine products, and treatment costs).
20. Thanks for treating acne.
21. Thanks for preventing cancer.
22. Thanks for coming in lots of different forms to choose from.
23. Thanks for helping women skip pesky periods.
24. Thanks for treating prementrual syndrome and premenstrual disphoric disorder.
25. Thanks for letting women and men choose control of whether/when they want to have children.

Why are YOU or YOUR PATIENTS thankful for birth control?  Tweet (#ThxBirthControl), post something on Facebook, share one of Bedsider’s clever digital postcards, or add a comment here.  Need some ideas?  The National Campaign has plenty.

Thank you and thanks birth control.