How does your birth control method stack up?
Take a look at the chart below to see how effective each type of birth control is at preventing pregnancy as well as protecting against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Both the “perfect use failure rate” (the estimated percentage of pregnancies that will occur if the birth control is used correctly and consistently) and the “typical use failure rate” (the estimated number of pregnancies that will occur with a typical user who does not use the contraception consistently or correctly) are listed for every contraceptive method. All of these percentages are for couples that have been using the particular contraceptive for one year.
If you find that your birth control method isn’t as effective as you would like it to be, then consider using an additional method of contraception. Using a condom along with any other method of birth control will not only reduce the estimated failure rate of your contraceptive, but it will also help protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
| Contraceptive Method | Perfect Use (%) | Typical Use (%) | Prevents Fertilization | Prevents Implantation | Postpone Sex | STD Protection |
| Spermicides | 18 | 29 | Fair | No | No | No |
| Male Condoms | 2 | 15 | Quite Good | No | No | Yes |
| Female Condoms | 5 | 21 | Good | No | No | Yes |
| Diaphragm | 6 | 16 | Good | No | No | No |
| Cervical Cap w/o prior pregnancy |
9 | 16 | Good | No | No | No |
| Cervical Cap w/ prior pregnancy |
26 | 32 | Fair | No | No | No |
| Sponge w/o prior pregnancy |
9 | 16 | Good | No | No | No |
| Sponge w/ prior pregnancy |
20 | 32 | Fair | No | No | No |
| Oral Contraceptives | 0.3 | 8 | Quite Good | Possibly | No | No |
| Contraceptive Patch | 0.3 | 8 | Quite Good | Possibly | No | No |
| Vaginal Contraceptive Ring | 0.3 | 8 | Quite Good | Possibly | No | No |
| Depo-Provera | 0.3 | 3 | Quite Good | Possibly | No | No |
| IUD (Copper) | 0.8 | 0.6 | Fair | Yes | No | No |
| IUD (Mirena) | 0.1 | 0.1 | Fair | Yes | No | No |
| No Method | 85 | 85 | No | No | No | No |
| Ovulation Method | 3 | 22 | Quite Good | No | Yes | No |
| Sympto-Thermal Method | 2.5 | 13-20 | Quite Good | No | Yes | No |
| Calendar Method | 5 | 13 | Good | No | Yes | No |
| Lactatoin (LAM) | 0.5 | 6 | Quite Good | No | No | No |
| Withdrawal | 4 | 27 | Good | No | No | No |
| Abstinence | 0 | 0 | Excellent | Yes | Yes | No |
