Does it matter which contraceptive I use?

Choosing your contraception is SO IMPORTANT. Normally, both men and women start to learn about different contraception options in their late teens and early 20's. Choosing a birth control with a high rate of effectiveness can lesson you chances of getting STI or getting pregnant! Recently, I read an article in which the author stated that the the most important reported finding is that an accurate understanding of pregnancy risk results in the highest rate of effectiveness (Steiner, 2006).

“The Psychology of Contraceptive Surprises: Cumulative Risk and Contraceptive Effectiveness” is another very interesting article which focuses on hypothetical expectations for long-term contraceptives (such a birth control pills or and IUD). The students involved in the study were shown to have “faulty understanding” of the effectiveness of different contraceptives (Shaklee, 2006). If we focus on increasing the knowledge of students and young adults with regard to their choice of contraception, the effectiveness of contraceptives can increase immensely!

Sometimes, contraceptives fail. More often than not, this is because they were used incorrectly. More often than not, contraceptives have a very high success rate! For example, the U.S. began a “Healthy People 2010” initiative. Through the study, it was found that there was little change from 1995 to 2002 (Kost et. Al, 2008). However, the study also specifies that injectable and oral contraceptives remain the most effective reversible methods of birth control (Kost et. Al, 2008)!