From: utzoo!decvax!cca!ima!johnl
Newsgroups: net.singles
Title: Re: Birth control effectiveness - (nf)
Article-I.D.: ima.313
Posted: Sat Apr  9 03:47:28 1983
Received: Sun Apr 10 01:35:37 1983

#R:eagle:-87700:ima:19300002:000:611
ima!johnl    Apr  8 11:15:00 1983

Contraceptive effectiveness is generally measured in pregnancies per
woman-year.  So 85% effectiveness would suggest that if 100 women used a
method for a year, 15 would become pregnant.

In the particular case of diaphragms, sponges, and other "barrier"
methods, the effectiveness they give take into account the fact that most
people who use them occasionally neglect to do so.  If you use diaphragms
every single time, they are about as good as the pill or an IUD.  I'd be
interested in hearing what the comparable info is for sponges.

John Levine, ima!johnl.

PS:  Let's move future discussion to net.med.