Every female who practices vaginal intercourse is at risk of becoming pregnant and every individual who engages in oral, anal or vaginal intercourse is at potential risk for contacting STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases). A contraceptive is a method of preventing pregnancy from occurring as a result of sexual intercourse. However, some contraceptives also reduce the chances of being exposed to an STD. Some contraceptives also offer not-contraceptive benefits in addition to those the previous two. A few of these benefits are reduced rates of certain types of cancer, and reduction of menstrual bleeding, cramping, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women.
Everyone consistently and correctly using contraception stand to gain from it. It's always been said that abstinence is the only form of contraception that's 100% safe. That fact only stands if both parties involved abstain. It's definitely not 100% if the person was forced or pressured into sex or if they decide to change their mind. Every form of contraception is not good for everyone. One person might favor condom, but if your partner is allergic to latex, you have to find another type of condom or consider other forms of contraceptives. Only you can decide what works best for you. A method that is not safe, effective and comfortable will be used inconsistently or incorrectly.
We've already established that no form of contraceptive is 100% safe, however when a contraceptive is used properly, there's very small margins of error depending on the type you use. Failure rate for contraceptives is defined as the possibility of a woman getting pregnant in her first full year of using a single method, not for every time the method is used. For example, the failure rate of a condom is 3%; meaning that out of 100 women who use the condom perfectly for one full year, 3 will become pregnant.
This section contains two sub-areas: a chart of different protections and description the different protections alone with how to use them.