Birth control satisfaction and efficacy [Infographic]

I have been working on a guide with all kinds of info about non-hormonal birth control (almost done!) and am kind of immersed in birth control data world, so I decided to make a fun infographic.

 

It’s interesting to see the differences between what women want, what women actually use, what women think is most effective, and what is actually most effective.

As you can see, even though oral contraceptives are a super popular form of birth control, they actually have a really high discontinuation rate because a lot of women aren’t satisfied with it.

Most of the birth control methods that women tend to stick with are things that aren’t the simplest to get rid of – IUDs and the implant. These methods are meant to last multiple years and need to be removed by a health care professional.

Next up in terms of continuation? The sympto-thermal method and other fertility awareness based methods.

The next part is what doesn’t add up: When women hear about the modern fertility awareness based methods (commonly the sympto-thermal method) 25 percent of them express interest in using those methods, but only 1.1 percent actually are current users.

As you can see, if you use a method correctly you are going to get a pretty good effectiveness. That is, unless you choose to use solely spermicide or the sponge, which are both pretty ineffective.

But, the proof is in the pudding: Only 5% of unintended pregnancies are from women using their chosen birth control method correctly and consistently. Which is why it is so important to find a method that suits you well.

Psst.. The “non-users” in that pie graph up there? They actually include anyone with a 1 month or more gap in contraception. That’s why it’s so important that if you want to avoid pregnancy that you find a method that you are happy with. Don’t let a switch up take you by surprise.