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Effectiveness Rate of Birth Control Methods

Topic Overview

This table compares how well different birth control methods work. The column on the right shows how many women out of 100 will have an unplanned pregnancy in the first year of using a method. These numbers reflect studies of real-life usage.

You can improve on the real-life failure rate of birth control methods by consistently using birth control methods as directed. But even with perfect use, a method will still fail to prevent a pregnancy in a certain number of women.

Effectiveness of birth control methods
Type	Method used	Number of unplanned pregnancies out of 100 typical users^{footnote 1,} ^{footnote 2}	Number of unplanned pregnancies out of 100 people that used the method exactly as directed^{footnote 1,} ^{footnote 2}
Hormonal	Combination birth control pills	9	Fewer than 1.
	Hormonal implant	Fewer than 1.	Fewer than 1.
	The shot	6	Fewer than 1.
	Transdermal patch	9	Fewer than 1.
	Progestin-only pills (mini-pills)	9	Fewer than 1.
	Vaginal ring	9	Fewer than 1.
IUD	Hormonal IUD	Fewer than 1.	Fewer than 1.
IUD	Copper IUD	Fewer than 1.	Fewer than 1.
Barrier methods	Condom, male	18	2
	Withdrawal	22	4
	Condom, female	21	5
	Diaphragm with spermicide	12	6
	Spermicide alone	28	18
	Sponge with spermicide (no previous vaginal childbirth)	12	9
	Sponge with spermicide (after vaginal childbirth)	24	20
	Cervical cap (no previous vaginal childbirth)	16	9
	Cervical cap (after vaginal delivery)	32	26
Fertility awareness	Periodic abstinence and fertility awareness methods	24	5
Surgery	Vasectomy	Fewer than 1.	Fewer than 1.
Surgery	Tubal ligation or tubal implants	Fewer than 1.	Fewer than 1.
No birth control	No birth control	85	85

The numbers shown in this table show the typical use rates for the average population. This includes people who use their birth control very carefully and those who do not.

Related Information

Birth Control

References

Citations
Trussell J, Guthrie KA (2011). Choosing a contraceptive: Efficacy, safety, and personal considerations. In RA Hatcher et al., eds., Contraceptive Technology, 20th ed., pp. 45–74. Atlanta: Ardent Media.
Abramowicz M (2010). Choice of contraceptives. Treatment Guidelines From The Medical Letter, 8(100): 89–96.

Credits

Current as of: February 23, 2022

Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Sarah Marshall MD - Family Medicine
Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine
Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine
Femi Olatunbosun MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology

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