Effectiveness Rate of Birth Control Methods

British Columbia Specific Information

Birth control can help prevent pregnancy. There are many types of birth control available. Speak with your health care provider to help decide which type is right for you and your partner.

Hormone-based birth control contains hormones such as estrogen and progestin. Certain medications may make your hormone-based birth control not work properly or not at all. For more information, see HealthLinkBC File #91a Hormonal Contraception and using other medications at the same time.

Emergency contraception helps to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, or failed birth control. For more information about emergency contraception, see HealthLinkBC File #91b Emergency Contraception (EC).

Birth control cannot prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but using a condom will reduce your risk. For more information about birth control and sexual health, visit Options for Sexual Health and Smart Sex Resource. To learn more about STIs, see our HealthLinkBC Files - Sexually Transmitted Infections Series.

You may also call 8-1-1 to speak with a registered nurse or pharmacist. Our nurses are available anytime of the day, every day of the year. Our pharmacists are available every night from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Topic Overview

This table compares how well different birth control methods work. The column on the right shows how many women out of 100 will have an unplanned pregnancy in the first year of using a method. These numbers reflect 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 with perfect use, a method will still fail to prevent a pregnancy in a certain number of women.

Effectiveness of birth control methods
Type	Method used	Number of unplanned pregnancies out of 100 typical users ^{footnote 1,}^{footnote 2}	Number of unplanned pregnancies out of 100 people that used the method exactly as directed ^{footnote 1,}^{footnote 2}
Hormonal	Combination birth control pills	9	Fewer than 1.
	Hormonal implant	Fewer than 1.	Fewer than 1.
	The shot	6	Fewer than 1.
	Transdermal patch	9	Fewer than 1.
	Progestin-only pills (mini-pills)	9	Fewer than 1.
	Vaginal ring	9	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	18	2
	Withdrawal	22	4
	Condom, female	21	5
	Diaphragm with spermicide	12	6
	Spermicide alone	28	18
	Sponge with spermicide (no previous vaginal childbirth)	12	9
	Sponge with spermicide (after vaginal childbirth)	24	20
	Cervical cap (no previous vaginal childbirth)	16	9
	Cervical cap (after vaginal delivery)	32	26
Fertility awareness	Periodic abstinence and fertility awareness methods	24	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. This includes people who use their birth control very carefully and those who do not.

Birth Control

References

Citations

Trussell J, Guthrie KA (2011). Choosing a contraceptive: Efficacy, safety, and personal considerations. In RA Hatcher et al., eds., Contraceptive Technology, 20th ed., pp. 45–74. Atlanta: Ardent Media.

Abramowicz M (2010). Choice of contraceptives. Treatment Guidelines From The Medical Letter, 8(100): 89–96.

Credits

Current as of: June 16, 2021

Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Sarah Marshall MD - Family Medicine
Anne C. Poinier MD - Internal Medicine
Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine
Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine
Femi Olatunbosun MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology