WebMD Medical News Louise Chang, MD May 23, 2012 -- Women using
birth control pills may have a 20 times greater risk of an
unplanned pregnancy than women using longer-acting forms of
birth control like an intrauterine device (IUD) or implant, new
research shows. A major new study shows the failure rate of
birth control pills and other short-term prescription
contraceptives is much higher than previously thought, based on
how women actually use them in real life. Researchers say the
results call for a major shift in how women and health care
providers think about birth control options. "In medicine,
whether you have stroke, hypertension, or diabetes, if you have
a medication that is 20-fold less effective, would you offer it
as first-line choice?" says researcher Jeffrey Peipert, MD, of
Washington University in St. Louis. Birth control pills are
currently the most commonly used reversible form of birth
control in the U.S. Only about 5.5% of American women who use
contraception use IUDs, compared with much high