birth control

[ burth kuhn-trohl ]

noun

1. regulation of the number of children born through the deliberate control or prevention of conception: Compare family planning ( def 1 ).

   She campaigned and went to prison for the right of women to practice birth control.

2. a drug, technique, or device used to deliberately control or prevent conception (often used attributively):

   Diaphragms were a common form of birth control long before the invention of contraceptive pills.

   Vasectomies are growing in frequency as a birth control method in many countries.

birth control

noun

1. limitation of child-bearing by means of contraception See also family planning

birth control

1. Planned interference with conception in order to control the number of offspring born. Birth control techniques include drugs containing hormones, the diaphragm, and the intrauterine device.

birth control

1. The practice of preventing conception to limit the number of births. ( See contraception , family planning , population control , and Margaret Sanger .)

Other Words From

• pro·birth-con·trol adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of birth control¹

First recorded in 1905–10; popularized in 1914 by Margaret Sanger ( def )

Example Sentences

Marsee learned how to administer medication abortion pills, procedural abortions, and highly effective birth control methods, including hormonal implants and intrauterine devices.

From Salon

“I always put the old birth control litmus test to it,” Lowe said.

From Los Angeles Times

Earlier this year, he signed onto a Senate proposal supporting federal birth control protections that Republicans blocked.

From Salon

Twice a month, a 40-foot-long truck transformed into a mobile clinic travels the Rio Grande Valley to provide rural Texans with women’s health care, including birth control.

From Salon

In last week’s batch of episodes, he and Marissa shared a tense and infuriating conversation about birth control.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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