Anticoncepción

Choosing contraception

Revisado: 4 de octubre de 2026

Solo en inglés por ahora

There are many ways to prevent pregnancy. This guide compares how well each method works, how you use it, and what to weigh up when you choose.

What to weigh up

There is no single best method for everyone. When you compare options, think about how well each one prevents pregnancy, how you use it, its possible side effects and risks, and how it may change your periods. Your health matters too. For example, methods that contain the hormone oestrogen may not be safe if you smoke and are 35 or over. A doctor, nurse or sexual-health clinic can help you find a method that fits your life and your health.

Perfect use and typical use

Effectiveness is often given as two numbers. Perfect use means using a method correctly every single time. Typical use is how well a method works in everyday life. Mistakes happen, such as a late pill or a condom that slips. For methods you have to remember, the typical-use figure is lower. For the implant and the IUDs, which keep working for years once fitted, the two figures are the same.

Methods that last for years

The implant, the hormonal IUD and the copper IUD are over 99% effective in both perfect and typical use. That means fewer than 1 in 100 people using them get pregnant in a year. The implant is a small rod placed under the skin of your arm. An IUD, also called a coil, is a small T-shaped device placed in the womb (uterus). Each lasts for several years. When the implant or a copper IUD is taken out, your fertility returns straight away.

Pill, patch, ring and injection

These hormonal methods are over 99% effective with perfect use. With typical use, the injection is about 94% effective, and the pill, patch and vaginal ring are about 91% effective. In other words, around 9 in 100 people using the pill, patch or ring for a year get pregnant. The pill is taken daily, the patch is changed each week, and one injection lasts 8 to 13 weeks. After the injection, it can take up to a year for fertility to return.

Condoms and other methods

External (male) condoms are 98% effective with perfect use and about 82% with typical use. Internal (female) condoms are 95% and about 79%. Condoms are the only method that also lowers the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, so they are worth using alongside another method if STIs are a concern. Natural family planning is about 91 to 99% effective with perfect use, but only about 76% with typical use. Period-tracking apps, including Ciclo, are not a form of contraception.

If something goes wrong

If you have sex without contraception, or your method fails, emergency contraception can help prevent pregnancy. It needs to be used within 3 to 5 days, depending on the type, and it works better the sooner you use it. A copper IUD fitted as emergency contraception is the most effective option. Whatever you choose, a doctor, nurse or pharmacist can give you advice, and you can switch to another method if one does not suit you.

This is general information. A doctor, nurse or sexual-health clinic can help you choose the method that is safest and best for you.