Birth control

and her sister Ethel Byrne on the courthouse steps in Brooklyn, New York City, January 8, 1917, during their trial for opening a birth control clinic. Both were found guilty]]
, a colour-code system for signalling fertility based on days since last menstruation|alt=a birth control chain calendar necklace]]

**Birth control**, also known as **contraception** or **family planning**, is a way for a man and woman to have sexual intercourse without the woman getting pregnant. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only became available in the 20th century. Planning, making available, and using human birth control is called family planning. Some cultures limit or discourage access to birth control because they say it is wrong. they say this because of their religion or their moral values. Sometimes, political leaders say this too.

### Periodic abstinence 
This means a man and a woman practice abstinence (not having sex) when the woman is fertile. When the woman is not fertile, she will not get pregnant when she has sex.
* Natural family planning: this is also called 'fertility awareness'. For this method, a woman reads her temperature (how warm her body is) in the morning, or she reads her cervical mucus (liquid that comes out of her vagina). Using the temperature or the cervical mucus, there are rules that say when the woman is fertile and not fertile.
** Billings ovulation method; Creighton model fertility care; two-day method; mucus-only method; basal body temperature method; sympto-thermo method: these are different names for natural family planning (see above).
* Rhythm method: this is where a woman records the number of days between her menses (the time when she bleeds). The woman is most likely to be fertile in the days right between her menses. For some women, the math does not work. They get pregnant when the math says they are less fertile.

### Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) 
This is using breastfeeding (lactation) as contraception. LAM makes ovulation stop (supresses it). This means that if a woman is lactating, she probably can not conceive (get pregnant), so breastfeeding continues as a form of contraception. There are certain rules the woman can use to know if she is not fertile. Lactation makes it so woman can not get pregnant, up to 6 months later. Chances that this method will fail are about 10% (which means 10% chance she can get pregnant), or it has a 90% .

It might cause some women to use breast pumps to  lactation so that she does not ovulate. Lactation stops after (the body makes itself able to do it surrounding) pregnancy if the mother does not use it, but during the time it is available it is a form of contraception. A woman might pump her breasts and donate the milk to children in need (at milk banks) if she has no need for the milk. One person who does (or did) this is Abbie Shapiro, Ben Shapiros sister.

### Induced abortion 
Induced abortion (sometimes called just abortion) is when a doctor gives a pregnant woman a medicine or does a surgery to stop the pregnancy on purpose. Some people do not call abortion a kind of contraception. This is because contraception means preventing pregnancy, but abortion is stopping a pregnancy that has already started.

Abortion is not a good birth control method. If a woman does not want to get pregnant, other methods are more safe and cost less money, and have less mental impact. So many doctors who do abortions for women help women find a better way to not get pregnant the next time.

## Religion and contraception 
Some religions do not like contraception. Some of them teach that contraception is a sin.

Religions ideas about contraception:
* Catholicism – almost all types of birth control are a sin (except *Natural Family Planning* or *abstinence*). The Catholic Church had no official policy over Contraception until 1930 when Pope Paul VI officially banned Catholics from using birth control pills, most forms of contraceptions, and even condoms. The Church believes sex is for a husband and wife to make a baby, and sex must always be open to life (possibility of making a new human) and contraceptions would be sinful as it blocks pregnancy even though the Bible does not ban contraceptions.    
* Protestantism – most Protestant churches believe birth control is not a sin and allow couples to use it if they do not wish to make a baby. 
* Islam – most schools of thought believe that some methods of birth control are not a sin. This is not applicable to sterilization, birth control due to financial hardship, or methods that deprive a woman of her right to sexual satisfaction.
* Judaism – there are many different beliefs in Judaism about birth control, but even the most conservative types of Judaism allow it if the woman will get sick if she gets pregnant.

Religious beliefs that contraception is a sin also keep people from doing *safe sex*. Some groups who are opposed to this belief say it is dangerous in places where there is a lot of HIV and AIDS, because condoms make people much less likely to get HIV, but at the same times many feel that they can practice extra marital sex since they are "safe" from HIV/AIDS.

## Birth control decisions 
Deciding whether to use birth control and what birth control to use are very personal choices made by women, men, and couples. Often the choice changes as relationships change. For instance, when a couple begin dating, the man may choose to use condoms, with or without spermicide. As they become more serious and start to have intercourse more often, the woman may go on the Pill for greater protection. When the couple begin living together or get engaged, they may stop using condoms and rely on just the Pill so they can have the greatest pleasure and intimacy. If and when a couple is ready to have a baby, the woman will go off the Pill, possibly using the minipill or a diaphragm while she nurses her baby, going off it when it is time for another baby.  Finally, either after having as many children as they want, or after deciding not to have any children, either or both partner may choose to get sterilized.

## Related pages 
* People: Marie Stopes, Margaret Sanger
* Unintended pregnancy
* Reproductive rights
* Overpopulation

## Other websites 
These may not be simple:
* Wedding Website: A simple introduction to cpntraception - in simple English 
* University of California, Santa Barbara's SexInfo: Methods of Contraception For Men and Women
* World Health Organization information on family planning
* Planned Parenthood
* Medline Plus on birth control
* USFDA page "what kind of birth control is best for you?" in simpler English

## References