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

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

According to the Mayo Clinic, a vasectomy is a form of male birth control that cuts the supply of sperm to a man's semen. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024

Many members were also involved in a wide variety of women’s rights issues, from promoting the use of birth control to advocating for immigrant mothers. —Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024

Reach out to a healthcare provider about treatments like antidepressants and birth control pills, which might manage PMS. —Anthea Levi, Health, 16 Mar. 2024

Black cohosh should be avoided by people who have known liver conditions, women who have (or previously had) uterine or breast cancer, and those who use hormones (HRT or birth control pills). —Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024

America's first over-the-counter birth control pill will be available soon More than 50 years after the oral contraceptive pill went on the market in the United States, the country's first over-the-counter birth control pill will be available in stores and online nationwide later this month. —USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024

Physicians are warning against a growing wave of misinformation spread by right-wing pundits and social media influencers who claim hormonal birth control is causing negative health effects like infertility, weight gain, and mental illness. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 22 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