What history is required for recommending appropriate contraception?

 
 Sexual history - taking a sexual history from adults and adolescents is a
necessary first step toward providing contraceptive, reproductive, and
sexually transmitted disease (STD) counseling. A sexual history screens for
high-risk sexual behaviors, may identify sexual problems, and is an
opportunity to provide information and support to patients. So, part of the
sexual of history that we should ask the patient is the:
o Onset of sexual activity – this is important to ask especially to teen
agers since compared to late initiators, people who initiated sexual
activity early engaged in more risky behaviors that could lead to
elevated risks of unwanted pregnancies and STDs so it is important to
ask this question in order for us to educate patient on how to reduce
these risks. – Gigi Engle 2020
o Number of partners since onset - To assess the risk of getting an STI.
o History of STD’s - eliciting this history is an opportunity to discuss
how to prevent future STDs, potential infertility and to assess STD
risk.
 Another important history that is required is the medical history since there
are some conditions that may contraindicate with oral contraceptives.
Conditions such as:
o Migraines with aura, hypertension, smoking at the age of more than
35 and deep vein thrombosis. These conditions are contraindicated
with contraceptives that contain estrogen since estrogen can
increase the risk or aggravate the said conditions by increasing the
clotting factors that could lead to stroke. Patient with these
conditions should only use progesterone only (mini-pill)
contraceptives or IUD.
 Menstrual history
o LMP (pregnancy) – to determine the age of gestation and also the
expected date of delivery.
o Irregular menses – since contraceptives can also help regulate the
menses by controlling hormone levels.