Summary: The Pill Does Not Prevent STDs

44% of teen women who use contraception rely on the pill which offers no protection against STDS.

• According to a fact sheet written by the Alan Guttmacher Institute about contraceptive use, about 60 million women in the United States are in their childbearing years (approximately 15-44 years of age). Overall, about 64% of these women practice some form of contraception. However, more than 3 million unintended pregnancies occur every year in the United States. About 3 million women who use no contraceptives account for almost half of these unintended pregnancies (47%), while 39 million birth control method users account for 53% of unintended pregnancies. The majority of unintended pregnancies among contraceptive users result from inconsistent or incorrect use. The birth control pill is the method most widely used by women in their 20s. Of the 2.7 million teenage women who use contraceptives, 44% (more than 1 million women) rely on the pill. More than one-third (37%) of teenage women using contraceptives choose condoms as their primary method of birth control. However, condom use seems to decline as women grow older and marry. Finally, of the 9.8 million women using barrier contraceptives such as the male condom, the female condom and the diaphragm, one-third report not using their method every time they have intercourse. ¹

¹Contraceptive Use, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2000, pp. 1-6.