How effective is the Pill?

It’s very effective indeed — which is why so many millions of women rely on it. If you take it exactly as prescribed, then its effectiveness is likely to be almost 100 per cent.

Put it another way: let’s say that 100 women use the Pill for a year, and that all of them never forget to take the little tablet. It is likely that not a single one of them will get pregnant.

In contrast, if they were all relying on the condom instead, then probably about five of them would become pregnant. And if they used no contraception at all, then at least 20 of them would fall pregnant!

So the Pill is just about the most effective method of contraception there is, apart from sterilisation .

09/07/2010 06:37 PM

More obesity ops 'will save cash'

Millions of pounds is lost in England by the failure of the NHS to provide more obesity operations, a study says.

09/08/2010 07:17 AM

Search for Legionnaires' source

Health officials seeking the source of a Legionnaires' outbreak which has been linked to the death of a 64-year-old woman are focusing on industrial premises.

09/07/2010 06:43 PM

Statins 'may cut arthritis risk'

Taking statins may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a study suggests.

09/07/2010 06:47 PM

Call for morning sickness action

More needs to be done to establish which are safe and effective ways to relieve morning sickness, experts say.

09/07/2010 02:07 AM

ME 'virus link' found in children

ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, in children could be caused by a virus, scientists say.

09/06/2010 06:01 PM

UK radiotherapy 'lagging behind'

Too few UK cancer patients are receiving state-of-the-art radiotherapy care, experts from Cancer Research UK say.

09/07/2010 06:16 AM

Gaps persist in cancer survival

Despite significant improvements in cancer survival rates across England, regional differences remain, national statistics show.

09/07/2010 04:30 AM

'Genetic link' to breast cancer

Researchers have identified a series of genetic variations which may play a role in a common breast cancer.

09/06/2010 03:00 PM

Bipolar 'not linked to violence'

People with a mental illness are no more likely to be violent unless they abuse drugs or alcohol, a study suggests.

09/07/2010 06:32 AM

NHS in Wales faces £380m cutbacks

The Welsh NHS faces making £380m worth of cutbacks by April, with managers saying it is the biggest challenge they have faced in 20 years.