Contraceptive choice
The happier women are with their contraception, the more effective
it is likely to be.
Around 1 in 3 women only spend 5 minutes or less choosing a contraceptive.
52% of women are not offered a choice of contraception.
There are 15 different methods of contraception available in the UK.
The most commonly known methods of contraception are ‘the Pill’ (95%), the male condom (87%) and the intrauterine device, or IUD (70%).
Information on this page has been sourced from government, professional and charity organisations, peer-reviewed journals and surveys of UK women.
Contraceptive conversations
25% of people wish they could talk more openly about sex and relationships.
27% of people admit to being too embarrassed to ask the questions they would really like to ask about contraception.
More than half of sexually active people say they do not talk to their partner about contraception before having sex.
60% of men think that men and women should always discuss using contraception together.
Young people whose parents discuss sex and relationships openly have sex later and are more likely to use contraception.
55% of parents hold back from talking to their children about sex and contraception due to embarrassment.
Half of UK women ask their GP for ‘the Pill’ when first seeing them about contraception.
When women ask for ‘the Pill’, more than a third of GPs say they don’t discuss further options with them.
Information on this page has been sourced from government, professional and charity organisations, peer-reviewed journals and surveys of UK women.
Contraceptive use
In the UK, contraception has been available free via the NHS since 1974.
The majority of women under 50 (75%) report that they use some form of contraception.
The most popular forms of contraception used by women under 50 in the UK are the oral contraceptive pill (25%) and the male condom (25%).
Uptake of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is low, with only 11% of women aged 16-49 using any of these methods.
Information on this page has been sourced from government, professional and charity organisations, peer-reviewed journals and surveys of UK women.
Contraceptive misuse
62% of women in a study reported using a form of contraception at the time of pregnancy, suggesting a substantial level of incorrect or inconsistent use or method failure.
Around half of UK pregnancies are unplanned despite almost three quarters of women under 50 using some form of contraception.
Women who have knowledge of five or less contraceptive methods are also more likely not to use a regular method or to use contraception at the time of this pregnancy.
Information on this page has been sourced from government, professional and charity organisations, peer-reviewed journals and surveys of UK women.