General medical words
What Does Contraception Mean on a Medicine Label?
Contraception · say it: kon-truh-SEP-shunAlso written: birth control, contraceptive, family planning
Short answer
Contraception means methods used to prevent pregnancy, such as pills, implants, injections, coils (IUDs) and condoms.
What it means
Contraception is any method used to prevent pregnancy. Methods include hormonal ones (pills, patches, rings, injections, implants and hormonal coils), non-hormonal ones (copper coils and barrier methods such as condoms) and permanent options like sterilisation. Condoms are the method that also reduces the spread of sexually transmitted infections.
Medicine labels mention contraception for two main reasons. Some medicines can harm an unborn baby, so the label asks people who could become pregnant to use effective contraception during treatment and for a time after. Other medicines can make hormonal contraception work less well (an interaction), so the label advises an additional or different method.
When a label says 'use effective contraception', it is protecting a possible pregnancy, not judging anyone. If a medicine interacts with your contraception, a pharmacist can tell you which methods are affected and which are not.
Where you may see it
- The 'Use in specific populations' or 'Pregnancy' section of medicine labels
- Leaflets under 'Other medicines and this medicine'
- Warnings on medicines known to cause harm in pregnancy
📄 How it looks on a report
Females of reproductive potential should use effective contraception during treatment and for 1 month after the final dose.
🙅 What it does not mean
- A contraception warning does not mean the medicine is unsafe for you; it is about preventing harm to a possible pregnancy.
- Not all contraception is affected by an interacting medicine; non-hormonal methods such as the copper coil are often unaffected.
- Using contraception does not protect against infections unless it is a barrier method like a condom.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
🧾 Reports where you will see “Contraception”
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💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Contraception”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Albendazole
an anthelmintic drug, a medicine used to treat infections caused by parasitic worms
- Amoxicillin
a penicillin-class antibacterial medicine that works against bacteria
- Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium
A penicillin-class antibacterial combined with a beta-lactamase inhibitor, as the label describes it
- Artemether and Lumefantrine
an antimalarial medicine, which is a fixed combination of two blood-stage antimalarial ingredients (artemether, an artemisinin derivative, and lumefantrine)
- Atorvastatin
a statin, a cholesterol-lowering medicine of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor type
- Carbamazepine
a mood stabilizer, and an anticonvulsant (seizure) medicine, according to the label
- Divalproex Sodium
An anti-epileptic (anti-seizure) drug of the valproate type. The label also uses it to treat manic episodes of bipolar disorder and to prevent migraine headaches.
- Doxycycline
a tetracycline-class antibacterial medicine (an antibiotic)
- Fluconazole
an azole antifungal medicine, a type of medicine that treats fungal (yeast) infections
- Lamotrigine
An anti-epileptic (seizure) medicine and mood stabilizer. The label describes it as an anti-epileptic drug of the phenyltriazine class that is chemically unrelated to other anti-epileptic drugs.
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Contraception” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
- NCI Dictionary definition ↗
US National Cancer Institute: “contraception”
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General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.