Pill Among Least Effective Birth Control Methods

A new study has found that shorter-acting methods of birth control, such as the Pill and the contraceptive patch, are much less effective at preventing unintended pregnancies than long-acting birth control methods such as intrauterine devices, or IUDs, and implants.

There are approximately six million pregnancies in the U.S. each year, and about half of them are unplanned. Approximately half of the unintended pregnancies are due to contraceptive failure, especially among younger women who use short-acting birth control methods. These include the Pill, which must be taken daily, and the hormone patch, which women must remember to change on a regular basis.

Jeffrey Piepert, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, says experts knew that so-called longer-acting reversible contraceptives, or LARC (LARK) methods, offered better protection against pregnancy than the Pill or the patch.

"What we didn't expect was the magnitude of the difference. There were 20-fold greater number of contraceptive failures in the Pills, patch and ring group compared to the LARC methods," said Piepert.

The finding was based on a study by Washington University researchers comparing long-acting contraceptive methods to short-acting ones.

Intrauterine Device (IUD) for Birth Control

An IUD is a small, T-shaped plastic device that is wrapped in copper or contains hormones. The IUD is inserted into your uterus by your doctor. A plastic string tied to the end of the IUD hangs down through the cervix into the vagina. You can check that the IUD is in place by feeling for this string. The string is also used by your doctor to remove the IUD.

Types of IUDs

- Hormonal IUD. The hormonal IUD, such as Mirena, releases levonorgestrel, which is a form of the hormone progestin. The hormonal IUD appears to be slightly more effective at preventing pregnancy than the copper IUD. The hormonal IUD is effective for at least 5 years.
- Copper IUD. The most commonly used IUD is the copper IUD (such as Paragard). Copper wire is wound around the stem of the T-shaped IUD. The copper IUD can stay in place for at least 10 years and is a highly effective form of contraception.

LARC methods of contraception include the intrauterine device, or IUD, and hormone-releasing implants. There are two types of IUDs; one releases tiny amounts of hormone over a period of years that prevents conception and the other contains copper that makes the uterus inhospitable to fertilized embryos. The copper IUD can remain in place for up to ten years. Implants, just beneath the skin, contain hormones that prevent ovulation. Both IUDs and implants must be put in place by a health care professional.