Navigating The Fertile Window: The Buddy System

THE CASE FOR DOUBLING UP

While no method of contraception is 100% effective, barrier methods range from around 79-87% effective with typical use, to around 84-98% effective with perfect use.

For couples who are lower on the Reproductive Intentions Scale, these statistics may not be acceptable. The good news is that the effectiveness of barrier methods of contraception can be increased substantially when they are doubled up.

You can see in the table below how combining barrier methods can provide you with a much higher level of protection than using a single barrier method alone. The table refers to typical use rates (not perfect use rates). For example, if you combine male condoms with withdrawal you could expect a typical use effectiveness rate of over 97%.

You’ll notice that the cervical cap doesn’t have any figures available on this diagram. This is because we lack quality typical use effectiveness rates for the cervical cap (although we do have perfect use estimates).

The sponge has not been included in this diagram as it contains Nonoxynol-9 spermicide which is not usually something I recommend placing into the vagina.

Some barrier methods should not be combined, such as the female condom and the male condom. Combining these two barrier methods would put them both at a high risk of failure due to friction.

We will be discussing barrier methods in full detail this week.