birth control

American  

[burth kuhn-trohl] / ˈbɜrθ kənˌtroʊl /

noun

1. regulation of the number of children born through the deliberate control or prevention of conception.

   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.

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birth control British  

noun

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

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birth control Scientific  

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.

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birth control Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

• probirth-control adjective

Etymology

Origin of birth control

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

Example Sentences

Like birth control pills, a treatment that works for one woman might cause side effects for another.

From Los Angeles Times

Natural Cycles is the first app cleared by the FDA for birth control.

From The Wall Street Journal

When Katherine Beard, 28, stopped taking hormonal birth control, acne, bloating and bad moods followed.

From The Wall Street Journal

As envisioned, local tribes would help manage the herd, including darting horses with a birth control vaccine to limit population growth.

From Los Angeles Times

You know, I actually feel like I haven’t spoken eloquently about getting off birth control.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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