Every number, approval date, and trial reference on this site is traced to a cited primary source. This page explains how we choose sources, handle conflicting evidence, and keep the data current.
If a claim cannot be verified against an authoritative source, it does not appear on NonHormonal.com. We would rather show a missing field than an unverified number. When a data point is unknown or contested, we say so explicitly rather than filling the gap with a guess.
Each method has a method page and one or more product pages. The method page is the source of truth for the full clinical picture: how it works, effectiveness, side effects, contraindications, clinical guidelines, cost context, and ongoing trials. Product pages are shorter and focus on brand-specific facts verified from FDA databases: active ingredient, manufacturer, approval date, and prescription status.
Clinical data belongs at the method level rather than duplicated across every brand. Side effects for a drug class come from each brand's FDA label, and merging them on a product page can be clinically misleading. Cost varies by retailer, insurance, and geography. What you read on a product page is always brand-specific and verifiable.
We use a fixed source hierarchy so the same kind of claim is always traced to the same kind of authority. Every cited source is freely accessible, with no paywall or login, so readers can verify anything we cite. We prefer PubMed over journal pages because PubMed is always free and contains the abstract with the headline numbers. We do not cite ACOG Practice Bulletins because they are paywalled.
Primary sources often report annual failure rates (for example, 13% typical failure for external condoms). We convert these to a consistent "effectiveness rate" format (87% effective), while preserving the original measurement context in the explanatory text alongside the number.
When two authoritative sources report different numbers, we prefer the higher-quality evidence type (randomized controlled trial over cohort, cohort over survey) and the source closer to the data (FDA label over secondary summary, primary trial over review). If quality is equal, the more recent source wins.
Every method has an effectiveness tier that gives an immediate "does this work?" signal without requiring a single percentage that may not exist.
Contraception tiers follow the CDC classification: Tier 1 (at least 99% effective, "Most effective"), Tier 2 (90 to 99%, "Moderately effective"), and Tier 3 (under 90%, "Least effective"). These boundaries are authoritative and we do not adjust them. When a product has its own typical-use number, the tier is derived automatically. When it does not, it inherits the tier of its method class.
Menopause tiers follow NAMS recommendation status: Level I ("Recommended"), Levels I-II or II-III ("Recommended, limited evidence"), or Not Recommended. The tier is independent of the numeric efficacy value: a treatment can be "Recommended" with a modest percentage, or "Recommended" with no percentage at all.
"Limited evidence" is honest, not a judgment of failure. It means we cannot verify efficacy for a specific product. It does not mean the product does not work. "In trials" is used for investigational treatments still in preclinical or early clinical stages with no published human efficacy data.
Side effects and contraindications are verified against the Contraindications and Adverse Reactions sections of the FDA label on DailyMed. For class-level methods, they are verified against CDC U.S. MEC or NAMS guidelines. We do not list speculative or unsourced safety details. This information appears on method pages, not product pages, because it applies to the method class rather than a specific brand.
Side effect and contraindication terms on method pages include explanatory tooltips where helpful, so readers can understand clinical language without leaving the page. Every term is checked against a clinical glossary to ensure the explanation matches.
Cost figures are estimates, not guarantees. They go stale as prices change, so we always include context about what each figure represents: list price, cash price, with-savings-card, insurance copay, App Store price, and so on. Cost data appears on method pages, where it describes the method class as a whole. Product pages do not carry cost data because brand pricing varies by retailer, insurance, and geography.
Every cost entry has two labels that together tell you what you are looking at. The first describes how often the method is consumed or repurchased: per act, per month, per year, weekly, or one time. The second describes what the price covers: a single unit, a retail package, one billing period, or the total cost. This prevents a multi-dose package price from being mistaken for a single-dose price.
Commercial relationships do not influence the data. Affiliate links, provider partnerships, and sponsorships never shape efficacy numbers, effectiveness tiers, approval dates, side effect listings, or editorial prose. The commercial call-to-action link on a product page is added only after the clinical content is finalized, and it is the only commercial surface on that page. Payments from partners, including commissions and referral fees, have no influence on which methods or products we list or how we describe them.
Each content file carries two dates that track its lifecycle. The "Last verified" date is when the data was last checked against its primary sources: efficacy numbers traced to the cited trial, FDA approval dates confirmed against DailyMed, trial statuses synced from ClinicalTrials.gov, and manufacturer names checked against the current label. The "Updated" date is when the content was last edited. "Last verified" is the primary trust signal and appears in the structured metadata that search engines use to assess content freshness.
The source hierarchy itself is reviewed to ensure the foundational guidelines (CDC U.S. MEC and SPR, The Menopause Society position statements, WHO fact sheets, and others) reflect the latest national or international consensus. When a newer edition supersedes a canonical source, we update the hierarchy first, then update every page that cites it.
Readers can report errors directly from any page. If you spot a wrong number, an outdated source, a broken link, or a provider listing that is no longer accurate, tell us. We review every report and fix cited data first.