{"id":19920,"date":"2022-10-14T09:43:08","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T14:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?p=19920"},"modified":"2023-03-19T12:05:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T17:05:05","slug":"birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

About <\/span>two-thirds of women<\/span><\/a> between the ages of 15 and 49 use some form of birth control. Contraception can decrease the risk of unplanned pregnancies: In 2008, around 51 percent of pregnancies <\/span>were unplanned<\/span><\/a>. By 2019, teen birth rates (which account for about three-quarters of unintended pregnancies) <\/span>reached a record low<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Education is one of the <\/span>most salient factors<\/span><\/a> that ensures <\/span>people choose the birth control most suited to their needs and increases the likelihood they\u2019ll stick with it. We asked a few different ob-gyns about some of the most popular contraceptives available. How do they work? What are some of the pros and cons? Let\u2019s get into it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Pill<\/h2>\n

Oral contraceptives are used by about <\/span>14 percent<\/span><\/a> of women today between the ages of 15 and 49. The so-called \u201ccombination pill\u201d is the most typical example; it contains two different hormones, estrogen and progestin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese two hormones work together and prevent ovulation, which is the release of an egg from a woman\u2019s ovary,\u201d says <\/span>Dr. Paul Blumenthal<\/span><\/a>, professor emeritus at Stanford University Medical Center in California. \u201cSince no egg is released, sperm that enters the body doesn\u2019t join with it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, some people might be prescribed progestin-only pills, also called the \u201cmini pill.\u201d This might be a better option if you have a history or family history of blood clots or are lactating.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the combination pill completely stops ovulation, the mini pill thickens the mucus at the entrance of the uterus, which prevents sperm from passing through.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hormonal contraceptives<\/span><\/a>, like the pill, are more than 99 percent effective when used correctly. Failure rate increases with misuse, though; one of the downsides to the pill is that it can be difficult to remember to take every day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Providers instruct patients to take the pill at the same time daily. It\u2019s more critical to do this with the mini pill than the combination pill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf there are gaps in the interval between pills or even missed pills, especially around the time of ovulation, the mucus can thin enough for sperm to ascend and fertilization to occur,\u201d Blumenthal says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Birth control pills can come with pesky side effects, which makes some users seek out different options. These can include headaches, mood changes, nausea, weight gain and other issues. <\/span>However, despite these drawbacks, the pill remains inexpensive and doesn\u2019t cause any long-term impact on fertility. As an added benefit, it also often reduces acne.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Bar\/Implant<\/b><\/h2>\n

Around 1 in 10 people who can become pregnant use long-acting reversible contraceptives. For one popular option, providers can implant a small plastic rod <\/span>in the upper arm<\/span><\/a> using an applicator attached to a needle. Once inserted, the implant continuously releases a low dose of a progestin hormone called etonogestrel, which doesn\u2019t contain estrogen. This makes it a good option for people who cannot use contraceptive methods with estrogen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bar is 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy and can last for three to five years. If a patient isn\u2019t currently on contraception, the implantation must take place within five days of a new menstrual cycle. For some patients, the bar can help with painful or heavy periods. Side effects can include acne, mood changes, weight gain and other issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Patch<\/h2>\n

Like the pill, the patch stops ovulation. Unlike the pill, you replace it every seven days: The patch is more or less a small square bandage that releases estrogen and progestin through the skin. It can be applied to clean, dry skin on the belly, buttocks, back, lower abdomen or other spots that aren\u2019t affected by bending or flexing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The patch is designed to stay put when you\u2019re showering, swimming, sweating or even using a hot tub. Still, Blumenthal suggests checking that it\u2019s in place after contact with water and daily in general.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis method may be best for women who may struggle to remember a daily pill, like someone who travels often, or someone who just has difficulty swallowing pills,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like any adhesive bandage, the patch can be difficult to keep on the skin and can cause irritation. It also has a weight limit; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says <\/span>efficacy decreases<\/span><\/a> in patients who weigh more than 198 lbs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

IUDs<\/h2>\n

Intrauterine contraceptives<\/span><\/a>, also called intrauterine devices (IUDs), consist of a small device that a provider inserts into a person\u2019s uterus to avoid pregnancy. Some can last up to eight years; all have a failure rate of <\/span>less than 1 percent<\/span><\/a>, some far less. An IUD\u2019s effectiveness is often related to its ease of use; once it\u2019s inserted, there\u2019s no forgetting to use it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One subset of IUDs uses hormones to stop ovulation and thicken the lining of the cervix, which traps and stops sperm. The other type, which is made of copper and doesn\u2019t contain hormones, \u201cmakes it impossible for sperm to reach an egg, because sperm hates copper,\u201d Blumenthal says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese are my go-to \u2018brainless, reversible\u2019 methods,\u201d says Arizona-based ob-gyn <\/span>Dr. Monte Swarup<\/span><\/a>, noting that hormonal IUDs can eliminate periods or reduce heavy bleeding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, as you may have heard, IUD insertion is often <\/span>notoriously uncomfortable<\/span><\/a>. Additionally, there\u2019s a rare but present risk of an IUD perforating the uterus at the time of insertion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Surgery<\/h2>\n

The most popular contraceptive method for women, particularly married women, between 15 and 49 isn\u2019t chemical \u2014 it\u2019s surgical. <\/span>Every year<\/span><\/a> in the United States, about 600,000 people with uteruses undertake <\/span>tubal ligation<\/span><\/a>, or \u201cgetting your tubes tied,\u201d with <\/span>demand for the surgery soaring<\/span><\/a> in light of legal uncertainty about abortion access going forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Between 200,000 and 300,000 people with penises opt annually for vasectomies, \u201cminor surgical procedures that tie off and block the tubes that carry sperm in the body,\u201d Blumenthal says. Since a vasectomy ensures that sperm never reaches a male\u2019s semen and can\u2019t fertilize an egg during sexual intercourse, it\u2019s <\/span>nearly 100 percent<\/span><\/a> effective at preventing pregnancy. About <\/span>3 to 6 percent<\/span><\/a> of people who\u2019ve had vasectomies seek to undo them each year, and about <\/span>91 percent of patients<\/span><\/a> became fertile again after a reversal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Esther Bergdahl contributed to this article. Esther Bergdahl is a freelance writer and editor based in Chicago. Her work has appeared in\u00a0Pacific Standard, Publishers Weekly, CityLab\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0Smithsonian Magazine.<\/i>\u00a0Learn more at\u00a0estherbergdahl.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Need an appointment with a gynecologist<\/a>? Visit Zocdoc<\/a>.<\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About two-thirds of women between the ages of 15 and 49 use some form of birth control. Contraception can decrease the risk of unplanned pregnancies: In 2008, around 51 percent of pregnancies were unplanned. By 2019, teen birth rates (which account for about three-quarters of unintended pregnancies) reached a record low. Education is one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":19921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[103,108,106],"class_list":["post-19920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-prep","tag-doctors-and-patients","tag-treatment","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi","specialist_by_city-ob-gyn"],"yoast_head":"\nBirth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More - Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We break down the pros and cons of different forms of birth control including the IUD, pill, patch and surgery.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More - Guides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We break down the pros and cons of different forms of birth control including the IUD, pill, patch and surgery.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Paper Gown\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-14T14:43:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-19T17:05:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"448\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Ann Mayer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Ann Mayer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Ann Mayer\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3742be248c23868e21def918e8f3d599\"},\"headline\":\"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-14T14:43:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-19T17:05:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/\"},\"wordCount\":1061,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Appointment Prep\",\"Doctors & Patients\",\"Treatment\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Guides\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/\",\"name\":\"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More - Guides\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-14T14:43:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-19T17:05:05+00:00\",\"description\":\"We break down the pros and cons of different forms of birth control including the IUD, pill, patch and surgery.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png\",\"width\":960,\"height\":448},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/category\/guides\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Paper Gown\",\"description\":\"Stories for and about patients\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Zocdoc\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png\",\"width\":2059,\"height\":1049,\"caption\":\"Zocdoc\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3742be248c23868e21def918e8f3d599\",\"name\":\"Beth Ann Mayer\",\"description\":\"Beth Ann Mayer is a writer and content strategist living in New York. She is the co-founder of creative agency Lemonseed Creative. Her bylines have appeared on healthline.com and parents.com.\",\"sameAs\":[\"theresa.fisher@zocdoc.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/author\/beth-ann-mayer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More - Guides","description":"We break down the pros and cons of different forms of birth control including the IUD, pill, patch and surgery.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More - Guides","og_description":"We break down the pros and cons of different forms of birth control including the IUD, pill, patch and surgery.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/","og_site_name":"The Paper Gown","article_published_time":"2022-10-14T14:43:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-19T17:05:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":448,"url":"https:\/\/zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Beth Ann Mayer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beth Ann Mayer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/"},"author":{"name":"Beth Ann Mayer","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3742be248c23868e21def918e8f3d599"},"headline":"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More","datePublished":"2022-10-14T14:43:08+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-19T17:05:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/"},"wordCount":1061,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png","keywords":["Appointment Prep","Doctors & Patients","Treatment"],"articleSection":["Guides"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/","name":"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More - Guides","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png","datePublished":"2022-10-14T14:43:08+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-19T17:05:05+00:00","description":"We break down the pros and cons of different forms of birth control including the IUD, pill, patch and surgery.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/birth-control.png","width":960,"height":448},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/birth-control-101-a-guide-to-the-patch-the-pill-and-more\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/category\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Birth Control 101: A Guide To The Patch, The Pill and More"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/","name":"The Paper Gown","description":"Stories for and about patients","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Zocdoc","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png","width":2059,"height":1049,"caption":"Zocdoc"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3742be248c23868e21def918e8f3d599","name":"Beth Ann Mayer","description":"Beth Ann Mayer is a writer and content strategist living in New York. She is the co-founder of creative agency Lemonseed Creative. Her bylines have appeared on healthline.com and parents.com.","sameAs":["theresa.fisher@zocdoc.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/author\/beth-ann-mayer\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}