Family planning
Regulation of childbearing through contraception, education, and health services.
Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. It encompasses services leading up to conception, including contraception, sex education, pre-conception counseling, infertility management, and abortion. Family planning is sometimes used as a synonym for access to contraception, but it often involves methods and practices beyond contraception.
- definition
- Consideration of number and spacing of children, including choice to have none
- key_organizations
- United Nations, World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- related_terms
- Family planning program (government-sponsored systematic effort)
- primary_benefits
- Reduced maternal morbidity, fetal prematurity, low birth weight; economic savings
Lore & Background
Family planning, as defined by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, encompasses services leading up to conception, including contraception, sex education, pre-conception counseling, infertility management, and abortion. Historically and currently, notions of family planning place the majority of the burden and health risks on women in heterosexual relationships, despite male contraceptive options being increasingly accessible, lower risk, and more affordable. Childbearing decisions center women in the discussion, as notions of women's empowerment and reproductive autonomy have gained traction in many parts of the world.
Reader's Guide
Family planning is among the most cost-effective of all health interventions, with cost savings stemming from reductions in unintended pregnancy and transmission of sexually transmitted infections. The WHO notes that maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, and that about 99% of maternal deaths occur in less developed countries. Family planning slows unsustainable population growth and helps countries achieve a 'demographic dividend,' where productivity increases when there are more people in the workforce and fewer dependents.
Did You Know?
- Family planning includes abortion as a form of family planning.
- Waiting at least two years (but not more than five) after a previous birth before attempting to conceive is healthier for mother and child.
- For every dollar invested in contraception, the cost of pregnancy-related care is reduced by $1.47.
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