The Pearl Index for a contraceptive method refers to:
- A Percentage of women who discontinue the method within one year
- B Failure rate per 100 acts of intercourse
- C Number of unintended pregnancies per 100 women-years of use ✓
- D Percentage of women achieving pregnancy within 6 months of discontinuation
Correct answer: C. Number of unintended pregnancies per 100 women-years of use
Explanation
The Pearl Index = (Number of pregnancies / Total months of exposure) × 1200. It expresses contraceptive failure as the number of unintended pregnancies per 100 women-years (1200 women-months) of use. Lower Pearl Index indicates higher contraceptive efficacy. The copper IUCD T-380A has a Pearl Index of < 1, while male condoms have a typical-use Pearl Index of ≈ 15.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.