Contraceptive Failure, Method-Related Discontinuation and Resumption of Use

Results from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth

Bibliographic Data

ID23316006
AuthorsJames Trussell (0000-0002-1417-7849, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars), Barbara Vaughan (0009-0001-5703-9278)
Year1999
Volume31
Issue2
Pages64
Publication date1999-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueFamily Planning Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0014-7354 • E-ISSN: 2325-5617
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/2991641
PMID10224544
OpenAlexW185624980
LanguageEN
Citations received59
References cited4

CONTEXT: Half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Of these, half occur to women who were practicing contraception in the month they conceived, and others occur when couples stop use because they find their method difficult or inconvenient to use. METHODS: Data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth were used to compute life-table probabilities of contraceptive failure for reversible methods of contraception, discontinuation of use for a method-related reason and resumption of contraceptive use. RESULTS: Within one year of starting to use a reversible method of contraception, 9% of women experience a contraceptive failure--7% of those using the pill, 9% of those relying on the male condom and 19% of those practicing withdrawal. During a lifetime of use of reversible methods, the typical woman will experience 1.8 contraceptive failures. Overall, 31% of women discontinue use of a reversible contraceptive for a method-related reason within six months of starting use, and 44% do so within 12 months; however, 68% resume use of a method within one month and 76% do so within three months. Multivariate analyses show that the risk of contraceptive failure is elevated among low-income women and Hispanic women. Low-income women are also less likely than other women to resume contraceptive use after discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: The risks of pregnancy during typical use of reversible methods of contraception are considerably higher than risks of failure during clinical trials, reflecting imperfect use of these methods rather than lack of inherent efficacy. High rates of method-related discontinuation probably reflect dissatisfaction with available methods.

Condom · Developed country · Discontinuation · Environmental health · Family medicine · Family planning · Fertility · Gynecology · National Survey of Family Growth · Obstetrics · Pill · Population · Research methodology · Unintended pregnancy · Demography · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine · Nursing · Pregnancy and Medication Impact · Reproductive Health and Contraception · Surgery