The contraceptive pill is a reliable form of birth control if it’s used correctly. However, with typical use, women tend to miss pills from time to time, which reduces the overall reliability.

• Around 0.3% of women who use the pill perfectly will become pregnant each year
• Around 9% of women will become pregnant if they take the pill correctly most of the time.
• More than 80% of sexually active women will become pregnant within a year if they do not use the contraceptive pill or any other method of birth control.