Effectiveness Rate of Birth Control Methods

Topic Overview

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. But even if used perfectly each time, a method will still fail to prevent a pregnancy in a certain number of women.

**Effectiveness of birth control methods**
Category	Method	Number of unplanned pregnancies out of 100 typical users^1,²	Number of unplanned pregnancies out of 100 people that used the method exactly as directed^1,²
Hormonal	Combination birth control pills	8	Fewer than 1
	Hormonal implant	Fewer than 1	Fewer than 1
	The shot	3	Fewer than 1
	Transdermal patch	8	Fewer than 1
	Progestin-only pills (mini-pills)	8	Fewer than 1
	Vaginal ring	8	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	15	2
	Withdrawal	27	4
	Condom, female	21	5
	Diaphragm with spermicide	16	6
	Spermicide alone	29	18
	Sponge with spermicide (no previous vaginal childbirth)	16	9
	Sponge with spermicide (after vaginal childbirth)	32	20
	Cervical cap (no previous vaginal childbirth)	16	9
	Cervical cap (after vaginal delivery)	32	26
Fertility awareness	Periodic abstinence and fertility awareness methods	25	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, including people who use their birth control very carefully and those who do not.

Related Information

Birth Control

References

Citations
Trussell J (2007). Choosing a contraceptive: Efficacy, safety, and personal considerations. In RA Hatcher et al., eds., Contraceptive Technology, 19th ed., pp. 19–47. New York: Ardent Media.
Abramowicz M (2010). Choice of contraceptives. Treatment Guidelines From the Medical Letter, 8(100): 89–96.

Credits

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Femi Olatunbosun, MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology
Last Revised	May 3, 2012

By:

Healthwise Staff

Last Revised: May 3, 2012

Medical Review:

Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine
Femi Olatunbosun, MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology

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