Use of Contraception and Use of Family Planning Services in the United States: 1982-2002

Abstract

The leading method of contraception in the United States in 2002 was the oral contraceptive pill, used by 11.6 million women; the second leading method was female sterilization, used by 10.3 million women. The condom was the third-leading method, used by about 9 million women and their partners. The condom is the leading method at first intercourse; the pill is the leading method among women under 30; and female sterilization is the leading method among women 35 and older. More than 98 percent of women 15-44 years of age who have ever had sexual intercourse with a male (referred to as "sexually experienced women") have used at least one contraceptive method. Over the 20 years from 1982 to 2002, the percent who had ever had a partner who used the male condom increased from 52 to 90 percent. The proportion who had ever had a partner who used withdrawal increased from 25 percent in 1982 to 56 percent in 2002. Another important measure of contraceptive use is use at the first premarital intercourse: before 1980, only 43 percent of women (or their partner) used a method of birth control at their first premarital intercourse. By 1999-2002, the proportion using a method at first premarital intercourse had risen to 79 percent.