The best way to reduce your risk of unintended pregnancy—short of abstaining, of course—is to pick a birth control method that's best for you and then use it correctly and consistently.
1:49Birth control effectiveness is typically measured from one of two vantage points: "perfect use" or "typical use."
Perfect use, sometimes also called "lowest expected," refers to when the method is used correctly and consistently as directed. For instance, when a couple always used condoms as directed but still became pregnant.
Typical use, on the other hand, refers to when the method either was not always used correctly or was not used with every act of sexual intercourse. For instance, typical use might include forgetting to take a birth control pill as directed and becoming pregnant or the contraceptive was used correctly but failed anyway.
The following table shows the percentage of women who experienced an unintended pregnancy within the first year of typical use of each different contraceptive method. These estimates are based on a variety of studies and were compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
For comparison, about 85 out of 100 sexually active women (or 85-percent) who do not use any birth control can expect to become pregnant in a year.
According to this data, a contraceptive implant, like Implanon, was the most effective at preventing pregnancy with only 0.05% of women who use it as their birth control method of choice become pregnant. Like other hormonal options like birth control pills, hormone injections, or hormonal IUDs, contraceptive implants rely on hormones (in this case progesterone) to prevent pregnancy. This low, steady dose of progesterone comes from a flexible plastic rod about the size of a matchstick that is implanted under the skin of a woman's upper arm.
While the contraceptive implant is the clear winner in terms of its extremely low pregnancy rate, there are still quite a few reliable options for couples to choose from. Finding the best and most reliable birth control method for you is what is most important.
When it comes to choosing the best birth control method for you, efficacy is only one piece of the equation. Here are some things to consider when choosing the best birth control method for you:
If discussing your options with your practitoner, there are a few things you should share. Be sure to tell your practitoner, healthcare provider, or pharmacist if you: