What 2.2 million women with an IUD need to know about real failure rates

By Anna Migeon
April 15, 2022 - IUD Alert

“Based on a new study, as many as 2.2 million women worldwide could find themselves pregnant on an IUD every year. Researchers were surprised to discover through this large-scale study that the generally accepted ultra-low failure rates of long-acting contraceptives have long been misrepresented, even by the CDC. 

An article published on Feb. 22, 2022, by the University of California San Francisco calls the study the “first rigorous look at how long-term birth control methods perform in the real world.” While the CDC claims the copper IUD failure rate is .8 percent and puts the hormonal IUD at between .1 and .4 of a percent, the “real world” failure results have turned out to be higher. Women who felt confident of avoiding pregnancy with an IUD yet find themselves pregnant may think they’re one of the unlucky one percent, but they are actually in good company: closer to three percent.”

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