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The typical American woman wants two children. This means that she’ll spend about five years pregnant, postpartum or trying to become pregnant, and roughly three decades—more than three-quarters of her reproductive life—trying to avoid pregnancy.[7]

More than half of U.S. women (nearly 36 million) are in need of contraceptive services because they are at risk for unintended pregnancy, meaning they are sexually active, are able to get pregnant and want to avoid pregnancy.[8]

Virtually all women in the United States aged 15–44 who have ever had sex have used at least one contraceptive method (99%). Currently, only 7% of sexually active women who are at risk for unintended pregnancy are not using contraceptives.[8]

Yes. Among U.S. women who could become pregnant, about 84% of non-Hispanic black women currently use a contraceptive method, compared with about 91% of non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women.[9]

Yes. Among sexually active U.S. women of all religious denominations who want to avoid pregnancy, almost seven in 10 use a highly effective method (i.e., sterilization, the pill or another hormonal method, or the IUD). For example, 98% of sexually experienced Catholic women have used a contraceptive method other than natural family planning. Use of contraception does not vary by attendance of religious services.[10]

When used correctly, contraceptives are highly effective. The two-thirds of U.S. women at risk of unintended pregnancy who use contraceptives consistently and correctly throughout the course of any given year account for only 5% of all unintended pregnancies.[11]

Breast-feeding is considered an effective contraceptive method only for women who breast-feed exclusively (that is, they do not supplement with formula), and only for up to six months after giving birth or until menstruation resumes—whichever is shorter.[12]

In the developing world, one in four sexually active women who are at risk for unintended pregnancy—a total of 215 million women—do not use a modern contraceptive method. These women account for 82% of all unintended pregnancies in the developing world. Unintended pregnancy in these regions would decline by almost three-fourths if all women who wanted to avoid pregnancy were able to use modern contraceptives.[13]

Women using contraceptives experience the following failure rates:

Consistent and correct use can be a challenge for women and couples. They often underestimate their risk of becoming pregnant, and life events such as a move, break-up or job change can disrupt contraceptive use. Additionally, women sometimes don’t have a method available at the time they have sex; others may not be able to obtain their preferred method in a timely manner, or at all. Even women who use their method perfectly can become pregnant, including a very small proportion who rely on highly effective hormonal methods (see table).[17]

Sterilization (male and female combined) is the most common contraceptive method, relied on by 37% of U.S. women. Sixty-three percent of women practicing contraception use nonpermanent modern methods, including hormonal methods (such as the pill, patch, implant, injectable and vaginal ring), the IUD and condoms.[9]

Three-quarters of women in developing countries (about 240 million women) who want to avoid pregnancy use a modern contraceptive method, including condoms. Method use varies substantially by region: Injectables and implants are the most common methods used in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (making up 38% of contraceptive use in both regions), but in South Central Asia, sterilization is the most popular method, with nearly two-thirds of all contraceptive users relying on this method.[18]

While overall levels of use are low, reliance on IUDs and implants among women in the United States has increased significantly in the past decade. As of 2006-2008, more than 5% of U.S. women rely on the IUD—a substantial increase from 1995, when fewer than 1% used this method. Because IUDs and implants are highly effective and less prone than other methods to user error, rates of unintended pregnancy could substantially decrease if more women relied on them.[19]

In 2009, nearly half of U.S. women aged 18–34 said that as a result of the recession, they wanted to delay pregnancy or limit the number of children they had. But for many women, economic hardship meant having to skimp on their contraceptive use—for example, by skipping pills, shifting to a less expensive method or not using birth control at all—in order to save money.[20]