What does typical-use failure rate mean, and which two common contraception methods have representative rates?

• A. Typical-use failure reflects pregnancy prevention under ideal, perfect-use conditions.
• B. Typical-use failure reflects pregnancy prevention under real-world use.
• C. Perfect-use failure rate is the same as typical-use for all methods.
• D. Typical-use failure rates are zero for condoms.

Answer: (B)

Typical-use failure rate shows how often a contraception method fails in real life, where people may not use it perfectly every time. It accounts for everyday mistakes, inconsistent use, or lapses, unlike perfect-use failure, which assumes flawless adherence. For common methods, two methods with well-known representative typical-use rates are condoms and the oral contraceptive pill. Condoms have about a 13% per-year typical-use failure rate, and the pill about 9% per-year. So the statement captures real-world use, and these two methods illustrate those typical-use rates.