Family planning involves making a decision about the number of children you and your partner want and devising a plan that will allow you to carry out your decision. Contraception, or birth control, is frequently used as a tool to allow pregnancy to occur at a specific time or to prevent pregnancy completely.
Identification
Family planning begins with a frank discussion between you and your partner and includes many practical and philosophical issues, such as your religious views, finances, ideas about the ideal family size, parenting styles and other issues. The health issues of both partners must also be considered. If one of you has a severe health problem, you may decide that is unwise to have children. A milder problem may factor into your decision to limit the number of children in your family. One or both partners may have a preference for a particular number of children, which may result in the need for a compromise on family size.
Nonprescription Birth Control Methods
Three barrier birth control methods are available without a prescription from a doctor. These methods include male and female condoms and sponges. Barrier methods work by forming a physical barrier between the sperm or egg and either keeping sperm from entering the vagina or preventing sperm from passing from the vagina into the cervix, the opening to the uterus. Spermicides are also available without a prescription and kill sperm present in the vagina. Spermicide is more effective if used in conjunction with a barrier method of birth control, such as a condom or sponge.
Effects
Prescription birth control methods may be more effective than nonprescription methods in preventing pregnancy. According to the National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC), five of every 100 women become pregnant while using birth control pills, 11 to 16 become pregnant while relying on male condoms, and 30 become pregnant using spermicide alone.
Hormonal methods of birth control include birth control pills, rings, implants, shots and patches. These methods prevent fertilization by inhibiting ovulation and changing the lining of the uterus. Birth control pills are the most common contraceptive method used in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. Prescription barrier methods include diaphragms and cervical caps.
Intrauterine devices (IUDS) can also be used to prevent pregnancies. These small, T-shaped devices are inserted into the uterus by a doctor and prevent pregnancy for as long as 10 years. IUDs prevent sperm from fertilizing or reaching an egg. Some IUDS also contain hormones.
Considerations
If you decide that you do not wish to have children or do not wish to have any additional children, you may wish to consider sterilization. Sterilization permanently prevents men from releasing sperm and women from releasing eggs. During a vasectomy, tubes that deliver sperm from a man's testicles through the penis are cut and cauterized in an outpatient procedure. Tubal ligation is the method used for sterilization in women. During this surgical procedure, the fallopian tubes are severed and sealed to prevent the release of eggs into the uterus. The fallopian tubes carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus.
Warning
Your original family plan may change as your finances, preferences and health change over the years. Family planning is an evolving process that must be adapted if you or your partner changes your views about the ideal family size or the best method of contraception for your needs.
