Thirty years ago, the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) published Contraceptive Safety: Rumors and Realities to provide policymakers, program managers, and service providers with accurate information on the risks and benefits of contraceptive methods. In 1998 and 2013, PRB updated the resource to include the latest scientific research on all available methods and to add other methods, such as the female condom and emergency contraceptive pills.

Nevertheless, rumors and incomplete information continue to spread and inhibit clients from making an informed choice and accessing a contraceptive method that works for them. The goal of this 2020 update is to help women and men choose methods based on scientific evidence rather than rumors and to assist policymakers, program managers, and providers in filling those needs.