Family planning allows couples and individuals to decide how many children they want to have and when they want to have them. The World Health Organization explains that this is achieved through contraceptive measures and infertility treatment, depending on the desired outcome. A medical professional or fertility specialist can help determine the best course of action based on your needs and medical history.
Natural Family Planning
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, explains that natural family planning times sexual intercourse based on a woman's menstrual cycle. Also known as fertility awareness, it is useful for both preventing and achieving pregnancy. Methods include charting body temperature, monitoring cervical mucus, using a calendar to track ovulation time and charting symptoms of ovulation such as cramping or mid-cycle spotting. If you are trying to get pregnant, the natural family planning method will help you determine the best time to have sex. If you are trying to avoid pregnancy, abstain from sex during your fertile times. Natural family planning is not ideal for women who should not get pregnant due to medical reasons, those who menstruate irregularly, or those on medications that can alter the consistency of cervical mucus.
Birth Control
Birth control, or contraception, is used to prevent undesired pregnancies. Birth control typically works in one of two ways---it either prevents the sperm from reaching the egg or prevents the ovaries from releasing eggs, according to MedlinePlus. Oral and injectable contraceptives containing estrogen, progesterone or a combination of the two prevent the ovaries from releasing an egg. Barrier methods such as condoms, diaphragms and intrauterine devices, or IUDs, block the sperm from reaching the egg. Hormone-based contraceptives, including some IUDs, carry a higher risk of side effects such as nausea, headaches and breast tenderness. Condoms are a good choice for those who cannot take hormones, but they must be used correctly every time to work.
Fertility Treatments
MayoClinic.com explains that 10 to 15 percent of couples in the United States are infertile, or unable to get pregnant after a year of trying. Natural family planning can help a woman determine the most fertile time of the month to try, but some couples need further intervention. Treatment options include hormones in the form of pills and injections; surgery to remove a blockage in the fallopian tubes and assisted reproductive therapy such as in vitro fertilization. Possible complications range from multiple births to bleeding and infection. Fertility treatments can also be expensive and they carry no guarantee of success.
Sterilization
Sterilization procedures, available for both men and women, are permanent methods of preventing pregnancy. The two most common options are vasectomies for men and tubal sterilization for women, according to ACOG. A vasectomy prevents the release of sperm by blocking the tubes that carry it from the testicle to the penis. Tubal sterilization blocks the fallopian tube and prevents the release of eggs. Although both are considered permanent sterilization options, in some cases the procedure can be reversed. MedlinePlus explains that about 1 out of 200 women get pregnant after tubal sterilization due to incomplete closing of the tube.
