Family planning is the planning of as when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Some of the commonly used techniques include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and management, and infertility managements.

Family planning is applied to a couple who wants to limit the number of children or to control the timing of pregnancy. Family planning may encompass sterilization, as well as pregnancy termination.

Due to the population explosion, increasing inflation and scarcity of resources, the family trends have shifted to nuclear families with number of children to one or two. Family planning refers to the natural and artificial birth control methods that allow you to control the size of your family and the gap between your children.

Advantages of Family Planning

Family planning helps you prevent conception and reduce the risk of pregnancy. The advantage of family planning tools is that they save you from the difficulties of pregnancy termination and abortion. Adopting a family plan affects a woman's health by preventing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies and abortions. Restricting the family size allows more resources for bringing up your children and maintaining family in a balanced way. Adopting family planning methods helps to let children have a better upbringing and education.

Tools of Family Planning

Family planning tools are broadly categorized into two : Natural Family Planning Methods & the Artificial Family Planning Methods.

Natural family planning is based on avoiding sexual intercourse during the fertile period of women. This method is based on physical signs of ovulation like basal body temperature and certain changes in mucus consistency.

Artificial family planning includes various contraception methods that include hormonal methods like birth control pills, barrier methods like condoms which act as male contraception, cervical caps and diaphragms, and sterilization or permanent contraception. Another popular hormonal birth control method is the IUD which is a small device inserted inside the uterus of women of reproductive age that prevents unwanted pregnancy.

Some of the most commonly used family planning techniques are: Female Sterilization, Combined Oral Contraception, Injectible Contraception, Progestin, Emergency Contraception, Vaginal Methods, Vasectomy, Norplant implants, Intrauterine Devices and many more.