How to Tell If Your Birth Control Is Effective

Picking a birth control method is almost like picking a paint color; there are tons of different options! One of the most important things to base your decision on is how effective the birth control is going to be for your particular situation.

Hormonal contraceptives are supposed to stop the body from ovulating. It can also change the cervical mucous and the lining of the uterus to make it more difficult for the sperm to travel through and the egg to implant. There are several different hormonal options to choose from including:

• Implant- a small rod is placed under the skin and releases progestin over a 3 year time period. .05% failure rate.
• Shot- progestin shot given every 3 months by a doctor. 6% failure rate.
• Combined Oral Pill- estrogen and progestin taken once a day in pill form. 9% failure rate.
• Mini Pill- progestin only taken once a day in pill form. 9% failure rate.
• Patch- Releases progestin and estrogen into the blood stream through a patch placed on the skin a week at a time. 9% failure rate or worse if you are over 198 pounds.

Intrauterine devices are small t-shaped devices that fit inside the uterus. These prevent pregnancy by killing or damaging sperm and changing the uterine lining so an egg cannot be accepted as easily. There are two to choose from:

• LNG IUD- releases levonorgestrel, a form of progestin, each day to prevent fertilization and implantation of the egg. Failure rate is .2%.
• Copper IUD- copper is coiled around the T shaped device which specifically kills the sperm. 8% failure rate.

Barrier methods are used to block the sperm from entering the uterus. A spermicide gives additional protection because it kills the sperm before it gets to the barrier. These are short-time use. The options of barriers are:

• Diaphragm or cervical cap- enter either of these into the vagina with spermicide to block and kill sperm before it can go through the cervix. 12% failure rate.
• Male condom- blocks the sperm before it can even enter the woman’s body. 18% failure rate.
• Female condom- blocks the sperm from entering the woman’s body. 21% failure rate.
• Spermicides- can be purchased in several different forms to kill the sperm. 28% Failure rate.

The failure rate is based on a percentage of women who get pregnant within the 1st year of using one of these birth control methods through typical use. Typical use means birth control is not used in the exact way it was meant to every time. If it were the failure rate would be lower.