This started as a quiz, believe it or not - which contraceptive method is the most effective , 2nd, 3rd etc. Then two things happened:
1] I realized that many, particularly Catholics, Americans or both, were not going to see the light side of contraception; and
2] I started not to see the light side myself. As I waded through the stats, trying to collate them, I realized just how much effort goes into contraception and how far the reconstitution of society depends on contraception - plus one more thing:
3] When I saw that Planned Parenthood was behind it I baulked. This organization has some allegedly quite shady practices that I've met before and it's my right to personally be circumspect about their agenda, whatever my actual view on abortion and a woman's right to her own body.
Anyway, I'll still publish and be damned [as if you don't know all this already]. In each case, the percentage is the chance of getting pregnant again after use. The results from the two lists are listed separately and repeated so you can compare :
0% Abstinence
0.05% Norplant and Norplant-2
0.1% Etonogestrel implants LNG-IUD Mirena® (Hormonal IUD)
0.1% Etonogestrel implants Implanon™
0.1% Combined (estrogen and progestin)
0.1% LNg
0.15% Male sterilisation
0.15% Male Sterilization
0.3% Injectables Depo-Provera
0.5% Progestin Only
0.5% Tubal ligation (female sterilisation)
0.5% Female Sterilization
0.8% Etonogestrel implants Cu-IUD (Copper IUD)
0. 8% IUD Progesterone T 2 Copper T 380A
0.1-1% Injectables Lunelle
1% Ortho Evra (skin patch)
2% Nuvaring (vaginal ring)
2% Lactational amenorrhoea (LAM) when all three conditions below are met:
a. fully breastfeeding
b. <6>
c. amenorrhoea
3% Ovulation Method
3% Etonogestrel implants Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA)
5% Pill
8% Combined oral contraceptives (COC)
8% Combined hormonal vaginal ring NuvaRing®
8% Progestogen only pill (POP)
9% Calendar Method
14% Male Condom
15% Condoms - Male
16% Diaphragms (with spermicide)
19% Withdrawal
20% Sponge Women who have never given birth
20% Diaphragm
20% Cap Women who have never given birth
21% Female Condom
21% Condoms - Female
25% Periodic Abstinence
25% Fertility awareness based methods e.g. standard days method, symptothermal method
26% Spermicides
27% Withdrawal
29% Spermicide only
40% Sponge - Women who have given birth
40% Cap - Women who have given birth
85% Leaving it up to chance
Seems to me that the best methods are to either abstain or to have some horrid chemicals and implants inserted in you, bit s of metal or else be surgically operated upon. Ouch.