The pill is an immensely popular and ubiquitous form of birth control among American women. It has become so accepted and so habitual that the question asked about other medicines — Do the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks? — is not asked nearly enough of hormonal contraception.
Nearly every woman in America has used contraception at some time in her life. According to a 2022 study, nine out of ten American women between the ages of 18 and 64 have used contraceptives during their reproductive years. According to the CDC’s 2017–19 National Survey of Family Growth, 65 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 were actively using contraception. The most common contraceptive methods are female sterilization (18.1 percent), followed by oral contraceptive pills (14.0 percent) and long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) (10.4 percent). Assuming that 2024 statistics are similar, it’s fair to say that over one-quarter of the female population in the U.S., ages 15 to 49, uses hormonal contraception, whether pills, LARCs (e.g., an intrauterine device or arm implant), injections, rings, or patches.
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