The Pill's Eclipse

Sterilization is now No. 1

Name the most popular form of birth control in the U.S. No, not the Pill. According to a report issued last week by the National Center for Health Statistics, the Pill has been superseded by male and female sterilization. About 22% of women using contraception have had tubal ligations or hysterectomies, and 11% of men have had vasectomies. Only 29% of women using birth control rely on the Pill.

The findings are based on interviews conducted in 1982 and 1983 with 7,969 women, ages 15 to 44; the results were compared with earlier surveys. The Pill, which was the most favored contraceptive in 1966, has fallen in popularity because of fears about potential health risks, particularly among women over 35 who smoke. The Pill's decline has also been affected by the trend toward smaller families, researchers say; women who do not want to have more children are increasingly seeking surgical sterilization. Among married women using birth control, the use of the Pill dropped from 36% in 1973 to 20% in 1982; in the same period, sterilization rose from 12% to 26%. Among unmarried women and women under 30, however, the favored contraceptive is still the Pill.