I would like to thank Dr. Boies for this opportunity and for her guidance throughout this publication.
April 8, 2025
The Misconception About Contraception: How Statistics on Birth Control Effectiveness Can Mislead
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Kennedy Kuchta
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The Impact of Outliers- How Extreme Data Points Distort Statistical Analysis
Rebecca TorresApril 7, 2024
3 comments
ccallens
I found this infographic very informative because it relates to my own experience of taking birth control and helped me understand how these statistics are usually misunderstood. Indicating the difference between how birth control methods are tested under perfect use conditions and how they are actually used in real life show why it appears to be more effective on paper because it doesn’t contribute factors that might happen because of simple misuse such as being inconsistent in taking it. I appreciate how the infographic tries to help people question the statistics on birth control rather than just accepting it at face value and are distressed when there are distorted results. One improvement I would add is a side by side chart showing typical use failure rates for various contraceptive methods to make the differences easier to understand and compare.
Alejandro Rubio Chappell
You did a great job showing how misleading birth control stats can be. I especially liked the part comparing typical vs. perfect use—that really helped clear things up. The “Did You Know?” section also stood out to me and made the issue feel more urgent. The visuals were super helpful and made it easy to follow. It definitely made me think more critically about how effectiveness is actually measured.
rmanzur
This article did a great job unpacking a complex and often misunderstood topic. I appreciated how it explained the difference between perfect use and typical use in a clear way. The discussion around statistical interpretation was especially eye opening. It’s an important read for anyone making informed health choices. Thoughtful, well researched, and very relevant,great work!