Here’s how well the most common forms of birth control really work

One of the most important things to know when choosing a contraceptive method is its efficacy. This is especially important in the following countries: giving birth is expensivethe maternal mortality rate is surprisingly highabortion options are Limited and shrinking.

Of course, no birth control method is perfect. Contraceptive effectiveness is measured in two ways. One is the “fully utilized” rate. This reflects the chances of having a baby if you do everything right each time. For example, you never forget to take a pill or forget to use a condom. Everything works as designed. These calculations often reflect very low failure rates.

But there are “typical usage” stats. This indicates the actual failure rate people experience in the real world when trying to use that method.i might forget to use it Or you don’t need to use it consistently. Or there may be factors beyond your control, such as a man taking off a condom without telling you, or being prescribed a drug you didn’t know could interfere with birth control pills.

Ascetic advocates It is the only contraceptive method with 0% failure rate. However, this is only full utilization.In reality, people not always stick to it all good. (As far as I know, there is no agreed-upon rate of abstinence in general use, but abstinence-only educational programs are undoubtedly not zero pregnancy among students. )

Let’s take a look at some of the most common birth control methods and their actual failure rates. How many people will get pregnant in a year using this methodTherefore, it is not a per-use or per-sex failure rate. There is a chance that the baby will be born after a year relying on this method.

The stats here are from the CDCI’ve listed them in order from highest to lowest failure rate in typical use. Note the “failure” rate when doing nothing. 85%This means that if you are fertile, sexually active, and do not use any contraception, you have an 85% chance of conceiving within a year.

• methods of fertility treatment (Don’t have sex on days you think you’re unlikely to conceive): 2% to 23%
• withdrawal (“pull out” before ejaculation): 22% (CDC does not mention this method as an option. Stats are gained by Planned Parenthood)
• male condom: 13% (female condom 21%)
• Contraceptive: 7% on either a combination or progestin-only ‘mini’ pill
• patch or ring: 7%
• depot provera shot: Four%
• Copper IUD: 0.8%
• female infertility (“Tie up the tube”): 0.5%
• Hormonal IUD: 0.1 to 0.4%
• male infertility (vasectomy), after a 12-week period including sperm count check: 0.15%
• implant (under the skin, usually the arm): 0.1%

However, effectiveness is not the only consideration when deciding which contraceptive method to use. There may be medical or personal reasons to prefer one method over another. But it helps to know the numbers you’re dealing with.