Reversible Contraception for the 1980s

EACH DAY, tens of millions of Americans swallow a pill, slide in a diaphragm, or slip on a condom to prevent unwanted pregnancies. These strategies are working, although not as well as they could. While rates of unwanted pregnancies have declined dramatically in recent years,¹ nonuse or inconsistent use of contraception, especially among sexually active teenagers,² persists. In general, fear of complications, not the complications themselves, is the most powerful deterrent to contraception.³ Much of this fear is unwarranted, fueled in part by inaccurate or incomplete media coverage.⁴ Although no new contraceptive chemical has been introduced in the United States since 1968,⁵ the safety and acceptability of existing contraceptive methods have improved greatly. In this review, I will provide a brief clinical update on reversible contraception, including current use of contraception, the efficacy of various methods, the safety of these methods, and a brief overview