rhythm method

noun

1. a method of birth control in which the couple abstain from sexual intercourse during the period when ovulation is most likely to occur.

rhythm method

noun

1. a method of controlling conception without the aid of a contraceptive device, by restricting sexual intercourse to those days in a woman's menstrual cycle on which conception is considered least likely to occur See also safe period

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhythm method¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Dr. Stieve gained renown for his contributions to medicine, including disputing the “rhythm method” of birth control and studying the effects of stress on the menstrual cycles of doomed female prisoners.

From New York Times

Luardo and her boyfriend opted for a calendar rhythm method to avoid pregnancy, considered one of the least effective forms of birth control.

From Los Angeles Times

It tends to be conflated with the rhythm method, which is ineffective, but when done properly, fertility awareness can be as or more effective than hormonal birth control pills.

From The Verge

The 2010s were the decade in which we were reminded that science is just a method, like the rhythm method.

From The Guardian

The word “disruption” proliferated, and everything was ripe for or vulnerable to it: sheet music, tuxedo rentals, home cooking, home buying, wedding planning, banking, shaving, credit lines, dry-cleaning, the rhythm method.

From The New Yorker

Related Words

• abstinence
• condom
• contraceptive
• diaphragm
• family planning
• pill
• vasectomy