abstinence: Refraining from sexual intercourse, the 100% proven way of not getting pregnant.
The rhythm method: Avoiding sexual intercourse when a woman is ovulating because sperm can live in a woman's reproductive tract for several days, it is best to avoid sex prior and after ovulating; has a high failure rate of 25%.
withdrawal method: Has high failure rate, it might be difficult to predict the point prior to ejaculation. the failure rate is about 19%.
barrier methods: (a) Condom: prevent against sexually transmitted diseases, the failure rate is about 15%.
(b)Spermicidal foams and gel: kill sperm before they travel to the uterine tubes, 25% failure rate when used alone.
(c) Diaphragms and Cervical caps: placed over the cervix of the vagina and used with spermicidal gel to prevent sperm from entering the cervix, failure rate as high as 20% if not inserted properly.
intrauterine devices: prevents fertilization from occurring. the failure rate is typically low 1-2%
chemical methods:: Oral contraceptives 0.1%, Estrogen/Progestin 1%, Injected/implant progestin: 0.3%, Morning-after pills, Mifepristone.
Surgical methods: tubal ligation requires that the uterine tubes are cut and the ends tied off or cauterized shut to prevent both sperm from reaching the oocyte and the oocyte from reaching the uterus.
-