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How Effective is the Birth Control Pill?

By Tracee Cornforth, About.com

Updated July 19, 2009

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

Question: How Effective is the Birth Control Pill?
Answer: Taken properly, the birth control pill is an effective method of preventing unplanned pregnancy. Of course, exactly how effective the Pill will be for you depends on whether you take your birth control pills every day--just missing 1 pill significantly raises your chance of getting pregnant. On average, about 5 out of 100 couples will get pregnant in a year while using the Pill.

Contraceptive Effectiveness

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