How effective are condoms at preventing pregnancy?

<p>In an absolutely perfect world, condoms are relatively effective—around 98%. But (and this is super important) in the real world, people mess up. They don't use them 100% of the time. Or the condom breaks, or slips off. So with typical use, they&rsquo;re only around 82% effective, which is a big difference.<br /><br /> In other words:<br /><br /> Of those women who use condoms exactly as directed, about 2 in 100 will experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year they use this method.<br /><br /> Of those women who do not use condoms exactly as directed, about 18 in 100 will experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year they use this method.</p>