What Does “Typical Use” and “Perfect Use” of Birth Control Mean?

People use birth control for all different types of reasons, such as to regulate or eliminate periods, clear up acne, alleviate symptoms of depression and PMDD, and to reduce their risk of cervical cancer. But no matter why we use contraception, one thing we all have in common is that we want our birth control to be effective (or in other words, to do whatever it is we want it to do). 

When researching your options online, you may have seen the terms “perfect use” and “typical use” used to describe a method’s efficacy. But what exactly do they mean? 

“Perfect use” means how well the method works when it is used exactly as it’s meant to be used under perfect conditions (such as in a clinical trial where everything is controlled). For example, the birth control pill is about 99% effective with perfect use, which means when it is taken at the exact same time every day, without ever missing a dose and without any unexpected delays. 

“Typical use” means how well the method works when it’s used by real people in the real world. This number takes into account the fact that no one is perfect, and that sometimes, birth control isn’t used exactly the way the instructions describe. This number is meant to represent different variables that could make a method less effective.

No one is perfect. That’s why many people usually pay more attention to the “typical use” number than the “perfect use” number. It's worth noting that, unlike other methods of birth control, IUDs and the implant have identical "perfect" and "typical" use percentages. Providers at your nearest The Right Time health centers can help you get the method of birth control that you want.