Effectiveness rate of birth control methods
The following table compares the effectiveness of different birth control methods. The column on the right shows the number of women out of 100 who will have an unplanned pregnancy in the first year of using a method. These numbers represent 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. However, even if used perfectly each time, a method will still fail to prevent a pregnancy in a certain number of women.
Category
Method
Number of unplanned pregnancies among 100 typical users1
Hormonal Combination birth control pills
8
Injections (Depo-Provera)
3
Transdermal patch
8
Progestin-only pills (mini-pills)
8
Vaginal ring
8
IUD Levonorgestrel (LNg 20) IUD
Fewer than 1
Copper IUD
Fewer than 1
Barrier methods Condom, male
15
Withdrawal
27
Condom, female
21
Diaphragm with spermicide
16
Spermicide alone
29
Sponge with spermicide (no previous vaginal childbirth)
16
Sponge with spermicide (after vaginal childbirth)
32
Cervical cap (no previous vaginal childbirth)
16
Cervical cap (after vaginal delivery)
32
Fertility awareness Periodic abstinence and fertility awareness methods
25
Surgery Vasectomy
Fewer than 1
Tubal ligation or tubal implants
Fewer than 1
No birth control No birth control
85
The numbers shown in the above table show the typical use rates for the average population, including people who use their birth control very carefully and those who do not.
| Author: | Merrill Hayden Carrie Henley | Last Updated: August 16, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology Femi Olatunbosun, MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine | |
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