- Among women aged 15–19 who were at risk of unintended pregnancy in 2006–2010, 82% were using a contraceptive method, and 59% were using a highly effective method.1
- Among sexually experienced 15–19-year-olds during that period, 78% of women and 85% of men reported having used a contraceptive the first time they had sex; 86% and 93%, respectively, said they did so the last time they had sex.1
- In 2006–2010, the odds of giving birth before age 20 were twice as high for adolescent women who had not used a contraceptive method at first sex as for those who had.1
- The male condom was the most commonly used method at first sex and at most recent sex among both adolescent men and women in 2006–2010.1
- Among the 2.5 million sexually active women aged 15–19 who reported current (i.e., within the last three months) use of contraceptives in 2011–2013, 55% relied on the condom; 35% on the pill; 20% on withdrawal; 8% on the injectable, patch or ring; and 3% on the IUD.2,3
- In 2006–2010, 20% of sexually active females aged 15–19 and 34% of sexually active males the same age reported having used both the condom and a hormonal method the last time they had sex.1
Contraceptive Use Among Adolescents in the United States
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1. Martinez G, Copen CE and Abma JC, Teenagers in the United States: sexual activity, contraceptive use, and childbearing, 2006–2010, Vital and Health Statistics, 2011, Series 23, No. 31, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_031.pdf.
2. Special tabulations of data from Daniels K et al., Current contraceptive use and variation by selected characteristics among women aged 15–44: United States, 2011–2013, National Health Statistics Reports, 2015, No. 86, 2015.
3. Lindberg L, Santelli J and Desai S, Understanding the decline in adolescent fertility in the United States, 2007–2012, Journal of Adolescent Health, 2016, 59(5):577–583, doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.024.