Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Factors that may influence family planning decisions can range from simply not wanting children, health factors, relationship status, career considerations, or financial circumstances. If sexually active, family planning may involve the use of condoms, contraception and other techniques to control the timing of reproduction.

Other aspects of family planning—aside from contraception—include sex education pre-conception counseling and management, and infertility management.World Health Organization. (n.d.). Sexual and Reproductive Health . Retrieved on 30 October 2019. Family planning, as defined by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, encompasses services leading up to conception. Abortion is another form of family planning.

"Family planning" is sometimes used as a synonym or euphemism for access to and the use of contraception. However, it often involves methods and practices in addition to contraception. Additionally, many might wish to use contraception but are not necessarily planning a family. "Family planning" has become a catch-all phrase for much of the work undertaken in this realm. Historically, and currently, across the world, notions of family planning place the majority of the burden and health risks on women in a heterosexual relationship, despite condoms, vactomies and other male contraceptive options being increasingly accessible, lower risk and more affordable than women's. Childbearing decisions center women in the discussion, as notions of women's empowerment and reproductive autonomy have gained traction in many parts of the world. Family planning is usually applied to a female-male couple who wish to limit the number of children they have or control pregnancy timing (also known as birth spacing). Family planning, such as increased access to condoms, contraceptives and abortion has been shown to reduce teenage birth rates, and birth rates for women in general.

It is sometimes clarifying to separate the term "family planning" from "family planning program". A 2017 textbook by Poston and Bouvier defines the former as "attempts by couples to regulate the number and spacing of their births", and the latter as "a systematic effort, often government-sponsored, to provide the information, supplies, and services for modern fertility control". The programs, used by many developing countries between 1950 and 1995, are controversial due to coercion, primarily in China, India, and Peru. A report from the World Bank Group concluded that "for the most part, the family planning program 'experiment' worked: policy and program interventions contributed substantially to the revolutionary rise of contraceptive use and to the decline in fertility that has occurred in the developing world".

Purposes In 2006, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a recommendation encouraging men and women to formulate a reproductive life plan to help them avoid unintended pregnancies, improve women's health, and reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes.

There are multiple benefits to family planning, including spacing births for healthier pregnancies, thus decreasing risks of maternal morbidity, fetal prematurity, and low birth weight. There is also a potential positive impact on the individual's social and economic advancement, as raising a child requires significant amounts of resources: time, social, financial, and environmental. Planning can help assure that resources are available.

For many, the purpose of family planning is to ensure that any couple, man, or woman who has a child has the resources needed to complete this goal. With these resources, a couple, man or woman can explore the options of natural birth, surrogacy, artificial insemination, or adoption. In the other case, if the person does not wish to have a child at the specific time, they can investigate the resources that are needed to prevent pregnancy, such as birth control, contraceptives, or physical protection and prevention.

There is no clear social impact case for or against conceiving a child. Individually, for most people, bearing a child or not has no measurable impact on personal well-being. A review of the economic literature on life satisfaction shows that certain groups of people are much happier without children: Single parents Fathers who both work and raise the children equally Singles The divorced The poor Those whose children are older than three Those whose children are sick

However, both adoptees and adopters report that they are happier after adoption.

Resources When women can pursue additional education and paid employment, families can invest more in each child. Children with fewer siblings tend to stay in school longer than those with many siblings. Leaving school to have children has long-term implications for the future of these girls, as well as the human capital of their families and communities. Family planning slows unsustainable population growth, which drains resources from the environment and national and regional development efforts.

Health

The WHO states about maternal health that: "Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. While motherhood is often a positive and fulfilling experience, for too many women it is associated with suffering, ill-health, and even death."

About 99% of maternal deaths occur in less developed countries; less than one half occur in sub-Saharan Africa and almost a third in South Asia. Maternal health also faces racial disparity in maternal health outcomes, as per the CDC 2021 report, where maternal mortality is higher among Hispanics compared to their counterparts.

Both early and late motherhood have increased risks. Young teenagers face a higher risk of complications and death as a result of pregnancy. Waiting until the mother is at least 18 years old before trying to have children improves maternal and child health. To prevent complications, access to quality health care is imperative, including contraception, skilled medical professionals, and abortion services and care.

Also, if additional children are desired after a child is born, it is healthier for the mother and the child to wait at least two years (but not more than five years) after the previous birth before attempting to conceive. After a miscarriage or abortion, it is healthier to wait at least six months.

When planning a family, women should be aware that reproductive risks increase with age. Like older men, older women have a higher chance of having a child with autism or Down syndrome; the chances of having multiple births increases, which cause further late-pregnancy risk; they have an increased chance of developing gestational diabetes; the need for a Caesarian section is greater; and the risk of prolonged labor is higher, putting the baby in distress.

Finances

Family planning is among the most cost-effective of all health interventions. "The cost savings stem from a reduction in unintended pregnancy, as well as a reduction in transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV".

Childbirth and prenatal health care costs averaged $7,090 for a normal delivery in the United States in 1996. U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that for a child born in 2007, a U.S. family will spend an average of $11,000 to $23,000 per year for the first 17 years of child's life. (Total inflation-adjusted estimated expenditure: $196,000 to $393,000, depending on household income.)

Investing in family planning has clear economic benefits. It can also help countries to achieve their "demographic dividend", which means that countries' productivity can increase when there are more people in the workforce and fewer dependents. UNFPA says that "For every dollar invested in contraception, the cost of pregnancy-related care is reduced by $1.47."

UNFPA states,

In the Copenhagen Consensus produced by Nobel laureates in collaboration with the UN, universal access to contraception ranks as the third-highest policy initiative in social, economic, and environmental benefits for every dollar spent. Providing universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and eliminating the unmet need for contraception will result in 640,000 fewer newborn deaths, 150,000 fewer maternal deaths and 600,000 fewer children who lose their mother. At the same time, societies will experience fewer dependents and more women in the workforce, driving faster economic growth. The costs of universal access to contraceptives will be about $3.6 billion/year, but the benefits will be more than $400 billion annually, and maternal deaths will be reduced by 150,000.

Modern methods Modern methods of family planning include birth control, assisted reproductive technology, and family planning programs.

Regarding the use of modern methods of contraception, The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says, "Contraceptives prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the number of abortions, and lower the incidence of death and disability related to complications of pregnancy and childbirth." UNFPA states, "If all women with an unmet need for contraceptives were able to use modern methods, an additional 24 million abortions (14 million of which would be unsafe), 6 million miscarriages, 70,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 infant deaths would be prevented."

In cases where couples may not want to have children just yet, family planning programs help a lot. Federal family planning programs reduced childbearing among poor women by as much as 29 percent, according to a University of Michigan study.

Adoption is another option to build a family. There are seven steps that one must take towards adoption. One must decide to pursue an adoption, apply to adopt, complete an adoption home study, get approved to adopt, be matched with a child, receive an adoptive placement, and then legalize the adoption.

Contraception

Several contraceptive methods are available to prevent unwanted pregnancy. There are natural methods and various chemical-based methods, each with particular advantages and disadvantages. Behavioral methods to avoid pregnancy that involve vaginal intercourse include the withdrawal and calendar-based methods, which have little upfront cost and are readily available. Long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, such as intrauterine device (IUD) and implant are highly effective and convenient, requiring little user action, but do come with risks. When the cost of failure is included, IUDs and vasectomy are much less costly than other methods. In addition to providing birth control, male and/or female condoms protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Condoms may be used alone or in addition to other methods, as backup, or to prevent STIs. Surgical methods (tubal ligation, vasectomy) provide long-term contraception for those who have completed their families.

Assisted reproductive technology

When, for any reason, a woman is unable to conceive by natural means, she may seek assisted conception. It is recommended that the couple ask for reproductive counseling after one year of trying to conceive, or after six months of trying if the woman is more than 35 years old, if she has irregular or infrequent menses, if she has a history of endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease, or if a problem related to the male is present.