TABLE Ways to Classify Commonly Used Contraceptives for Consideration by Countries and Family Planning Programs

Classification System	Female Ster.	Vas.	Implant	Copper IUD	Hormonal IUS	Injectable	OCP	ECP, 1.5 mg LNG	Male Condom	Female Condom	Dia-phragm	LAM	SDM	TDM	Rhythm/Calendar Method	With-drawal
Modern or traditional	M	M	M	M	M	M	M	M	M	M	M	M	M	M	T	T
Level or tier of effectiveness	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	3^a	3	3	3	2	3	3	4	4
Need for programme support	Hi	Hi	Hi	Hi	Hi	Me	Lo	Lo	Lo	Lo	Lo	Me	Me	Me	No	No
Duration of labelled use	P	P	LA	LA	LA	MA	SA	SA	SA	SA	SA	MA	SA	SA	SA	SA
Male- or female-controlled, or both	FC	MC	FC	FC	FC	FC	FC	FC	MC	FC	FC	FC	Both	Both	Both	MC
Coitally dependent/related	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y
Need for surgical procedure to use	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
Presence of hormones	N	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
Client's ability to discontinue without needing a provider	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Return to fertility after discontinuation of method	U	U	I	I	I	D	I	I	I	I	I	D	I	I	I	I

Abbreviations of contraceptive methods: ECP, emergency contraceptive pill; IUD, intrauterine device; IUS, intrauterine system; LAM, Lactational Amenorrhea Method; LNG, levonorgestrel; OCP, oral contraceptive pill; SDM, Standard Days Method; Ster., sterilization; TDM, TwoDay Method; Vas., vasectomry.
↵a If 100 women used progestin-only ECPs, one would likely become pregnant (from Family Planning: A Global Handbook for Providers, 2011 update). Please note that effectiveness in ECP studies was computed on women’s use after one act of protected intercourse, which is different from analyses of other contraceptive effectiveness studies.
Legend:
Modern or traditional: M, modern; T, traditional.
Level or tier of effectiveness: 1, 2, 3, or 4 (as per Family Planning: A Global Handbook for Providers, 2011 update)
Need for programme support: Hi, high (requires clinic setting with trained and skilled providers); Me, medium (can be provided in non-clinical setting by trained and skilled providers); Lo, low (can be provided in community distribution programmes, over the counter, or in informal settings); No, none.
Duration of labelled use: P, permanent; LA, long-acting; MA, medium-acting; SA, short-acting. Note: Medium-acting is not a commonly used category but is presented here to distinguish it from the methods which are labelled for a lesser period of effect.
Male- or female-controlled, or both: MC, male-controlled; FC, female-controlled; Both, requires cooperation of both the man and the woman.
Coitally dependent/related (requires specific intervention at the time of intercourse): Y, yes; N, no.
Need for surgical procedure to use: Y, yes; N, no.
Presence of hormones: Y, yes; N, no.
Client's ability to discontinue without reliance on a provider: Y, yes; N, no.
Return to fertility after discontinuation of method: I, immediate; D, delayed; Ne, never; U, uncertain success after reversal.
Source: Developed by the World Health Organization for a consultation on contraceptive classification and presented at the 2016 International Conference on Family Planning; 2016 Jan 25–28; Nusa Dua, Indonesia.