family planning

American  

noun

1. the concept or a program of limiting the size of families through the spacing or prevention of pregnancies, especially for economic reasons.

2. (loosely) birth control.

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family planning British  

noun

1. the control of the number of children in a family and of the intervals between them, esp by the use of contraceptives See also birth control

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family planning Cultural  

1. The use of education and birth control to limit the number of offspring and the population of a country. (See population control and Margaret Sanger.)

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Etymology

Origin of family planning

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

“Without family planning, you could have an increased number of women die because of deliveries, especially young women.”

From Salon • Feb. 9, 2026

An effort to include HIV testing in family planning in Kenya fell apart.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

"Those who truly need to buy these products will still buy them, because these are family planning products," Xu told AFP outside a shopping mall.

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

However, while Tsevat observed several OB-GYNs placing IUDs during her residency, she says one of the only instructors who regularly applied lidocaine specialized in complex family planning.

From Slate • Sep. 7, 2025

Second, nations with food deficits must put more of their resources into voluntary family planning programs.

From State of the Union Address by Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines)