Hormonal Contraception Initial Assessment

History

Prior to prescribing a hormonal contraceptive, a thorough history should be taken, including present and past medical history (eg cardiovascular [CV] risk factors, allergies, migraine, presence of comorbidities), personal history (eg smoking history, sexual history), current medications, and potential contraindications (please see subsequent discussion on each hormonal contraceptive for details).

Physical Examination

Physical examination should include assessing blood pressure (BP) and body weight, breast exam, abdominal exam, and pelvic/genital exam. Pelvic/genital exam is preferably done with cervical cytologic screening. This is an important aspect of preventive medicine but is not mandatory and may be postponed until the follow-up visit.