More Women Are Choosing Long-Acting Birth Control

Though the pill is still the most popular....the number who choose to use long-acting versions like the intrauterine device (IUD) or implant has significantly increased. New data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that 11.6% of women who used birth control in the U.S. in 2011-2013 chose long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC)—almost double the rate in 2006-2010, when 6% of women using birth control chose these methods. In 2002, the rate was 2%.

Among women using LARC in the most recent report, 10.3% reported using an IUD and 1.3% used an implant. Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) are highly effective and low maintenance. The failure rate for these methods is around 0.8% for the IUD and 0.05% for the implant—compared to 9% for the pill and 18% for the male condom. The most popular birth control method in 2011-2013 remained the pill at 26% and female…