--- title: Birth Control: Which Method Works Best description: We've rounded up all the birth control options, how each method works and how effective it is. canonical: https://time.com/4108686/birth-control-methods-how-work/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-11T19:28:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:34.665Z article:section: Health og:title: How Every Form of Birth Control Actually Works og:description: Your ultimate guide, from the pill to IUDs og:url: https://time.com/4108686/birth-control-methods-how-work/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Every Form of Birth Control Actually Works twitter:description: Your ultimate guide, from the pill to IUDs twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # See How Every Form of Birth Control Actually Works by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) and [Heather Jones](https://time.com/author/heather-jones/) Nov 11, 2015 7:28 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) and [Heather Jones](https://time.com/author/heather-jones/) Nov 11, 2015 7:28 PM UTC There are lots of options when it comes to birth control, and [federal data](http://time.com/4104923/contraceptives-long-acting-birth-control/) on American women reveals that more and more of them—11.6%—are choosing long-acting methods like IUDs and implants. As recently as 2006-2010, just 6% of women reported using such methods. We’ve rounded up all the various options women and men have when it comes to preventing pregnancy, how each method works, and how effective they are.  **Read More**:[ _Why The Best Form of Birth Control is The One No One is Using_](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4108686/birth-control-methods-how-work/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4108686/birth-control-methods-how-work/"},"headline":"See How Every Form of Birth Control Actually Works","datePublished":"2015-11-11T19:28:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:50:34.665Z","description":"Your ultimate guide, from abstinence to the IUD","url":"https://time.com/4108686/birth-control-methods-how-work/","keywords":["Sex/Relationships","medicine","Birth Control","condoms","IUD"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Heather Jones","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/heather-jones/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/sexrelationships/","name":"Sex/Relationships"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4108686/birth-control-methods-how-work/","name":"See How Every Form of Birth Control Actually Works"}}]}] ```