For Patients

While we can't provide abortion in Texas or Louisiana, we can still provide medically accurate information, ultrasounds to date your pregnancy and help determine your options, and connect you to safe and legal out-of-state abortion care. Learn more about abortion navigation assistance here.

Routine visits with a health care provider are an important part of taking care of your health. Your health care provider can give you important information about your personal health, help you prevent illness, and help keep you well. Learn more about annual wellness visits.

Birth control allows us to prevent pregnancy and plan the timing of pregnancy. Birth control is not one-size-fits-all. Only you can decide what is best for you. And we're here to help. Learn more about birth control methods.

Breast cancer screenings, such as breast exams or mammograms, help detect breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage. These breast cancer detection tools can save lives. More than 9 out of 10 women who detect breast cancer early live at least five years — and many live much longer. Learn more about breast cancer screenings.

Pap tests (also called cytology) and HPV tests are kinds of cervical cancer screening. Routine screenings are important to prevent cervical cancer, as these tests can detect cell changes in the cervix before cancer even develops. The changes can then be treated, and cancer can be prevented. Learn more about cervical cancer and screenings.

HIV is the infection that causes AIDS. HIV has few or no symptoms for up to 10 years or more before symptoms of AIDS develop. About 1 out of 6 people with HIV don't know they are infected, so testing is very important. Getting tested is quick, simple, and painless: Rapid HIV tests can provide results in as fast as 20 minutes from just a swab inside the mouth. Learn more about HIV & AIDS and HIV testing.

HPV stands for human papillomavirus. There are more than 100 types of HPV. Some types produce warts, including plantar warts on the feet and common hand warts, and about 40 types of HPV can infect the genital area — the vulva, vagina, cervix, rectum, anus, penis, or scrotum.

Genital HPV infections are very common. HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active people get it at some point in their lives. But most people who have HPV don't know it.

There are two types of HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix. They both protect against HPV types 16 and 18, which cause 7 out of 10 cases of cervical cancer. Gardasil also protects against types 6 and 11, which cause 9 out of 10 cases of genital warts.

It is recommended that all girls and women ages 9-26 get an HPV vaccine. Boys and men ages 9-26 can get the vaccine to prevent genital warts, some cancers of the anus, and to prevent the spread of HPV to women, which could potentially cause cervical cancer. Learn more about HPV and the HPV vaccine.

Emergency contraception is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse. It can be used up to five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex.

Pregnancy doesn't happen right after sex. That's why it's possible to prevent pregnancy even after the fact. It can take up to six days for the sperm and egg to meet after having sex. Emergency contraception pills work by keeping a person's ovary from releasing an egg for longer than usual. Pregnancy cannot happen if there is no egg to join with sperm.

You might have also heard that the morning-after pill causes an abortion. But that's not true. The morning-after pill is not the abortion pill. Emergency contraception is a form of birth control, not abortion. Learn more about emergency contraception.

Millions of people face unplanned pregnancies every year. In fact, half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. If you are pregnant, you have three options to think about — abortion, adoption, and parenting. Only you can decide what is right for you, but many people find it helpful to talk it through with someone else.

Family planning clinics, like your local Planned Parenthood health center, have specially trained staff who can talk with you about all of your options. But beware of so-called "crisis pregnancy centers." These are fake clinics run by people who oppose abortion. They often lack licensed medial providers, don't give patients all their options, and have a history of trying to deceive or pressure people out of choosing abortion. Only you can know what is best for your body, health, and future, and absolutely no one should pressure you or trick you into making a decision you're not comfortable with. Learn more about pregnancy options.

Pregnancy tests are usually simple urine tests that show if a person is pregnant. They test for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). HCG is released when a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus, and HCG is only found in the body if a person is pregnant. Learn more about pregnancy testing.

When taken as directed, PrEP can provide a high level of protection against HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) and is even more effective when combined with condoms and other prevention options.

nPEP is a series of pills you can start taking within 72 hours (three days) after you've been exposed to HIV that lowers your chances of getting it.

Learn more about PrEP & nPEP.

Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast offers primary care services that include physicals, referrals to specialists, and treatment for seasonal allergies, upper respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, asthma, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, postpartum care, weight management, smoking cessation, and much more. Learn more about primary care.

Most sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have no symptoms, so the only way to know for sure if you have one is to get tested. Some STIs can lead to serious health problems if left untreated, but the good news is that getting tested is usually quick and painless, and many STIs can be easily cured with medicine. For STIs that can't be cured, there is treatment for symptoms and to help prevent passing it on to a partner.

If you've had sex with another person and did not use a condom, internal condom, dental dam, or other barrier, it's a good idea to talk to your health care provider about STI testing. Getting tested can put your mind at ease or get you (and your partner) needed treatment. It's also important to learn about ways you and your partner(s) can protect yourselves in the future through safer sex. Learn more about STIs and STI testing.

Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast is proud to offer gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender, non-binary and genderqueer patients (ages 18+). Gender-affirming hormone therapy services include estrogen, spironolactone, and testosterone. Learn more about trans care.

Pregnant and need to know more? An ultrasound (also called a sonogram) can tell you the date of your pregnancy, assess the location in the uterus, and help rule out an ectopic pregnancy. We offer pregnancy dating ultrasounds at our C.A.R.E. Center in Houston and, starting September 7, 2023, in our New Orleans, Louisiana health center. Call 1-800-230-PLAN to make an appointment. Learn more about dating ultrasounds and other pregnancy-related services.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection of the urinary system, including your bladder and urethra. Anyone can get a UTI, but they’re more common if you have a vulva. One of the most common symptoms of a UTI is a frequent and urgent need to pee. Untreated UTIs can also go to your kidneys. Kidney infections are serious and need to be treated right away.

It's pretty easy to get a UTI. Anything that brings bacteria in contact with the vulva and/or urethra can cause a UTI. This can happen when tiny bits of feces enter the urethra during sex play, unprotected anal intercourse, or even when toilet water back splashes.

UTIs can also be caused by sexually transmitted infections (STIs). When a UTI is caused by an STI, the infection is most often only in the urethra — not the bladder. Your health care provider can see if you have a UTI by testing a sample of your urine. Learn more about UTIs.

Vasectomy is a safe, simple, and minimally invasive procedure that acts as permanent birth control. It works by blocking sperm from leaving the body, and it's nearly 100 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. The procedure is quick, and you can go home the same day. Keep in mind that vasectomy only prevents pregnancy, and it offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections. 

PPGC offers affordable vasectomy services from expert urologists in Houston and New Orleans. Call 1-800-230-PLAN to schedule. Learn more about vasectomy.