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. 2008 Summer;1(3):113–121.

Table 1.

Percentage of US Women Experiencing an Unintended Pregnancy During the First Year of Typical Use and the First Year of Perfect Use of Contraception and the Percentage Continuing Use at the End of the First Year

Women Experiencing an Unintended Pregnancy Within the First year of Use (%)
Method Typical Use Perfect Use Women Continuing Use at 1 Year (%)
No method 85 85
Spermicides 29 18 42
Withdrawal 27 4 43
Periodic abstinence 25 51
Calendar 9
Ovulation method 3
Symptothermal 2
Postovulation 1
Cap
Parous women 32 26 46
Nulliparous women 16 9 57
Sponge
Parous women 32 20 46
Nulliparous women 16 9 57
Diaphragm 16 6 57
Condom
Female (Reality) 21 5 49
Male 15 2 53
Combined pill and minipill 8 0.3 68
Ortho Evra® patch 8 0.3 68
NuvaRing® 8 0.3 68
Depo-Provera® 3 0.3 56
Lunelle™ 3 0.05 56
IUD
ParaGard (copper T) 0.8 0.6 78
Mirena (levonorgesterel containing intrauterine system) 0.1 0.1 81
Norplant® and Norplant-2® 0.05 0.05 84
Female sterilization 0.5 0.5 100
Male sterilization 0.15 0.10 100

Reality, Female Health Company, UK; Ortho Evra, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Raritan, NJ; NuvaRing, Organon USA Inc., Roseland, NJ; Depo-Provera, Pfizer Inc, New York, NY; Lunelle, Pharmacia Corporation, Peapack, NJ; ParaGard, Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Pomona, NY; Mirena, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Montville, NJ; Norplant and Norplant-2, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Reprinted from Contraception, Vol. 70, Trussel J, Contraceptive failure in the United States, pp. 89–96, Copyright 2004, with permission from Elsevier.2