11 Facts About Birth Control

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1. The first record of birth control dates back to an Egyptian manuscript written in 1550 B.C.^[Time Inc. "A Brief History of Birth Control." TIME. Accessed April 28, 2014.]
2. There are around 16 types of birth control methods which include: abstinence, condoms, and pills.^[Planned Parenthood. "Birth Control Pills - Birth Control Pill - The Pill." Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. Accessed April 28, 2014. .]
3. Four things to consider when deciding on the best birth control method for you: reliability of the method, ease of use of the method, potential side-effects, and health risks.^[Berger, Leslie. "Deciphering the Menu of Birth Control Options." The New York Times. Last modified August 1, 2008. April 23, 2014.]
4. The leading birth control method used by women ages 15-29 in the US is the pill. (17.1%)^[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Contraceptive Use." USA.gov. Accessed April 28, 2014.]
5. Family Planning is the planning of when to have children techniques to implement such plans. Natural family planning uses the naturally occurring signs of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle to achieve or postpone pregnancy.^[WHO. "WHO Family planning." World Health Organization. Accessed April 28, 2014.]
6. Family planning is promoted globally to support the health and economic development of communities and ensure a woman’s well-being and autonomy. Other reasons include: reduce infant mortality, prevent HIV/AIDS, prevent pregnancy-related health risks.^[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "What is Natural Family Planning?" Accessed April 28, 2014.]
7. 53% of African women have an unmet need for contraception, in Asia it’s 21% and it's 22% in Latin America and the Caribbean.^[WHO. "WHO Family planning." World Health Organization. Accessed April 28, 2014.]
8. 222 million women in developing countries would like to delay or stop childbearing, but don't use birth control for some of the following reasons: limited access to contraception, fear of side-effects, cultural/religious opposition, gender-based barriers.^[WHO. "WHO Family planning." World Health Organization. Accessed April 28, 2014.]
9. The morning-after pill works by preventing ovulation, which means that an egg won’t be released. And as a result, the sperm can’t be fertilized.^[WHO. "WHO Family planning." World Health Organization. Accessed April 28, 2014. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs351/en/.]
10. Contraceptive gel is a possible new method to be released sometime in 2015. It would consist of a gel or lotion that could be rubbed on the skin to stop ovulation.^[Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. "The Morning-After Pill." Sexual & Reproductive Health - Sex Education - Planned Parenthood. Accessed April 28, 2014.]
11. Birth Control is a multi-billion dollar business, which means it is expected to grow and provide more effective contraceptive methods in the future.^[Adams, Stephen . "Contraceptive gel could replace birth control pill - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk. Accessed April 28, 2014.]