Birth controlis a way for women and men to prevent and plan the timing of pregnancy. There are many different birth control methods, includinghormonal contraception, non-hormonal contraception, and OTC methods. Birth controleffectivenessis an important and common concern in yourdecision to choosea birth control method.
People have beenusing birth controlfor thousands of years. Today, we have many safe and effective birth control methods to choose from. Birth control effectiveness depends on different factors. As with any contraceptive, your chosen birth control method will be more effective if you use itconsistentlyandcorrectly. This means that if you want high levels of birth control effectiveness, you must always use it and make sure that you are using it the right way.
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When you are comparing birth control effectiveness, it is helpful that you understandwhat failure rates mean. This is where birth control comparison can become a little confusing. The birth control effectiveness rate is the opposite of its failure rate. So, let’s say that you are comparing the effectiveness of thebirth control pilland the effectiveness ofDepo Provera. You read that that the pill has an 8% failure rate and Depo Provera has a 6% failure rate.What does this tell you?
Well, failure rates refer to the number of pregnancies that take place when 100 women use that birth control method for one year. Another way to look at this birth control comparison is that the pill is 92% effective at preventing pregnancy and Depo Provera is 94% effective. So the birth control effectiveness rate is the number you get when you subtract its failure rate from 100.
Birth Control Comparison Based on Typical Use
Birth control methods can be grouped into different categories and some methods are more effective than others:
In July 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvedOpill (norgestrel), aprogestin-only oral contraceptive, to be sold OTC. Opill is the first and only birth control pill available without a prescription. Before starting a birth control method, it’s a good idea to speak with your healthcare provider, even if your method of choice doesn’t require a prescription.
What Are the Chances of Getting Pregnant on Birth Control?
Factors That Can Lower/Increase Birth Control Effectiveness
Except forabstinence(which is 100% effective), no birth control method is completely guaranteed to prevent pregnancy. But there are things you might do to lower or increase your birth control effectiveness.
Things to keep in mind:
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Planned Parenthood.Birth Control.Mosher W, Jones J, Abma JC: Division of Vital Statistics.Intended and unintended births in the United States: 1982-2010. National Health Statistics Report. 2012;55.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Planned Parenthood.Birth Control.Mosher W, Jones J, Abma JC: Division of Vital Statistics.Intended and unintended births in the United States: 1982-2010. National Health Statistics Report. 2012;55.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Planned Parenthood.Birth Control.Mosher W, Jones J, Abma JC: Division of Vital Statistics.Intended and unintended births in the United States: 1982-2010. National Health Statistics Report. 2012;55.
Planned Parenthood.Birth Control.
Mosher W, Jones J, Abma JC: Division of Vital Statistics.Intended and unintended births in the United States: 1982-2010. National Health Statistics Report. 2012;55.
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