OBJECTIVES: With nearly 210,000 abortions per year in France and a proportion of repeat abortions increasing steadily, the question of enhancing the use of contraceptive method allowing a better adherence and acceptability is raised. The objective of this study was to collect real-world data about the different relevant parameters of interest to document current contraception use, costs and effectiveness. METHODS: The EGB (Echantillon Généraliste des Bénéficiaires) database is a 1/97 random sample of the whole French population covered by public insurance. Women having used any reimbursed contraception in 2012 were selected and, persistence, unplanned pregnancies and associated costs were analyzed according to the profile of women. RESULTS: A population of 48,090 women was identified in the EGB with 67.6% of women globally using oral contraceptives (OCs), 28.1% Intrauterine Device (IUD) and 4.3% implant (Nexplanon®), a distribution highly dependent on women age, except for Nexplanon®. The 24-month persistence was highly variable according to the method with respectively 30.9% (CI 29.7-32.0) for OCs of 1^rt- 2^nd generation, 35.1% (33.1-37.0) for OCs 3^rd generation, 73.5% (66.4-79.3) for implant and 78% (72.0- 84.1) for IUD. Failures were identified depending on age group through the identification of a pregnancy leading to an unplanned delivery or an abortion among women under a stable contraception since at least 1 month. In the 25-35 years women, the failure rates ranged from 1.3% for implant  to 2.3% for IUD, 6.0% for OCs 3^rd generation and 8.3% for OCs of 1^rt- 2^ndgeneration. The mean direct cost associated with an unplanned pregnancy was estimated at about € 2,500, a weighted average of normal delivery, abortion, miscarriage and extra-uterine pregnancy costs. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated that Nexplanon® and intrauterine devices may represent an interesting alternative to decrease the number of unplanned pregnancies and related abortion in France.