birth control

noun

1

: deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation (as by use of birth control pills, IUDs, condoms, coitus interruptus, vasectomy, or tubal ligation) : contraception sense 1

Male sterilization, known as vasectomy, is the only long-acting method of birth control available to men …

—Richard V. Reeves and Eleanor Krause

… the rise in use of fertility apps and period trackers suggests women are keen for a hormone-free form of birth control.

—Nicola Davis and Niamh McIntyre

—sometimes hyphenated before a noun

birth-control options

These clinics … provide all the birth-control methods for free.

—Robert Abbott

2

: devices or preparations designed to prevent conception

especially : devices or preparations (such as IUDs or birth control pills) that typically contain progestin either alone or in combination with estrogen and that prevent ovulation, thicken cervical mucus, or thin the uterine lining in order to prevent conception : contraception sense 2

Enabling pharmacists to prescribe birth control will improve access to this medication, especially in rural and underserved areas where access to reproductive health care is limited.

—The Newtown (Connecticut) Bee

see also birth control pill

Examples of birth control in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most birth control pills are up to 99% effective at preventing pregnancy if taken as instructed. —Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine won the STAT Madness All-Star award last month, voted on by attendees at the Breakthrough Summit East, for their work to create an on-demand birth control pill for men. —Simar Bajaj, STAT, 5 Apr. 2024

No known cure for PCOS Doctors recommend hormonal contraceptives — most commonly the birth control pill — to regulate heavy, irregular periods;, acne;, and unwanted hair growth. —Caroline Hopkins, NBC News, 31 Mar. 2024

This includes people suffering from mental illness, who may not be able to maintain a schedule of a daily dose like the birth control pill. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024

Second, certain drugs may be reducing the efficacy of birth control pills, increasing the chances of pregnancy. —Katie Camero, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024

All those conversations spent worrying about birth control didn't matter in the end for Love Is Blind season 6 couple Johnny McIntyre and Amy Cortés. —Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024

Still, the strict standards for the tolerability of male birth control could raise the floor for female methods too. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024

That means two separate surgeries instead of one, and opens the door to another pregnancy if other forms of birth control hadn’t worked well for you in the past. —Amanda Masse and Nadi Nina Kaonga, STAT, 26 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

birth control

noun

1

: control of the number of births especially by preventing or lessening the occurrence of conception

2

: devices or preparations used to prevent pregnancy

Medical Definition

birth control

noun

1

: deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation (as by use of birth control pills, IUDs, condoms, coitus interruptus, vasectomy, or tubal ligation) : contraception sense 1

… after careful consideration of the various types of birth control available, a woman may choose a diaphragm (see diaphragm sense 3) as her major method of pregnancy protection. … It is not necessary for her to rethink all of the birth control options every time she has sex.

—James Jaccard et al., New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development

—sometimes hyphenated when used before another noun

… family planning services through programs such as Medicaid and Title X, which have been critical in reducing costs and expanding access for low-income women to the birth-control method of their choice.

—Cecile Richards, The New England Journal of Medicine

2

: devices or preparations designed to prevent conception

especially : devices or preparations (such as IUDs or birth control pills) that typically contain progestin either alone or in combination with estrogen and that stop ovulation, thicken cervical mucus, or thin the uterine lining in order to prevent conception : contraception sense 2

For women of many identities, oral birth control represents an affordable, non-invasive, and effective means of family planning.

—Susannah Iles, Michigan Journal of Gender and Law

see also birth control pill