Family planning means taking steps to prevent unintended pregnancy and making decisions as an individual or a couple to decide when to have children, according to the Minnesota Health Department. A myriad of different factors affect a person's personal decisions about what type of family planning method to use.
Effectiveness
People who are not in a financial or emotional situation to have children might opt for the most effective type of family planning in order to avoid pregnancy. A couple or woman with a casual approach toward parenthood, such as not actively pursuing it but not unwilling to take it on, might choose a less-certain form of contraception, such as natural family planning.
Cost
Some forms of contraception, such as minor surgeries like a vasectomy, carry a fairly significant one-time cost. Other options, such as condoms or the calendar cycle method, are less expensive.
Religion
Some religions, such as Catholicism, have restrictions on contraception based on the belief that it is God's will to bring children into the world, according to Columbia University. Religious observers might choose to avoid certain methods of family planning, such as the birth control pill, in an effort to live their lives according to the teachings of their religion.
Health Risk
For people with multiple sexual partners, the choice to use family planning might also be a matter of health. For example, using condoms can reduce the chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Permanence
Some contraception choices, such as vasectomy, are usually permanent. So couples who don't want to have children now but would like to in the future might want to choose a less-permanent option, such as condoms or birth control pills.
Partner Involvement
You should consider the preferences of your partner when choosing a birth control option. For example, some men don't like to have sex using a condom. In these cases, birth control pills might be a better choice for preventing an unwanted pregnancy, according to the National Institutes of Health.
