One out of every five women on The Pill forgets to take it at some point, which increases her chances of pregnancy. But Good Housekeeping says there are many new innovative choices in contraceptives that are less hassle, have minimum side effects and may suit your lifestyle better. The Implanon matchstick-sized implant just get federal approval last year.

"With Implanon you just have a single rod. It's inserted just beneath the skin where it releases a low, steady dose of progestin, so you can use it when you're breast feeding. It's 99 percent effective and doctors say it should be very easy to insert and remove," says Toni Hope, Health Editor, Good Housekeeping.

Cyclebeads may be worth considering for women over 35 who smoke, have high blood pressure or are concerned about taking hormones. "To use Cyclebeads, on the first day of her period, a woman puts the black ring on the red bead," says Victoria Jennings, Institute for Reproductive Health, Georgetown University. "As long as she's on a brown bead day, she can have sex without worrying about getting pregnant. But as soon as the ring is on one of the white beads, which represent days eight through 19 of her cycle, these are the days that pregnancy is possible."

And a pill called Yaz offers protection from pregnancy plus relief from peri-menopause symptoms. "Yaz has a lower dose of estrogen, the unique progesterone. What that does is it actually allows the woman to have a shorter, lighter cycle and so therefore frequently less menstrual symptoms and less PMS," says Dr. Vivian Roston, St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital.

A final note: Good Housekeeping says The Pill isn't for every woman. Hormone-based methods like The Pill increase the odds of a heart attack or stroke for women over 35 with high blood pressure or who smoke. But, in general, taking The Pill for five years cuts a woman's risk of ovarian cancer by 50 percent.

To learn more, check out the June issue of Good Housekeeping or visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.