Family planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and management, and infertility management. It is sometimes used as a synonym for the use of birth control, though it often includes more a female-male couples who wish to limit the number of children they have or to control the timing of pregnancy, it is also the voluntary action taken by individuals to prevent, delay or achieve a pregnancy. Family planning services include counseling and education, preconception care, screening and laboratory tests, and family planning methods. A couple may use contraception to avoid pregnancy temporarily or sterilization to avoid pregnancy permanently. Abortion may be used to end an unwanted pregnancy when contraception has failed or not been used. Family planning is the basic principle that is used by families in determining how many children they are going to have and how the family is going to be spaced in terms of age. Family planning is influenced by quite a number of factors and these factors include; finance, health, and population reference. Family planning is an effective way of controlling fertility within a human rights framework by giving couples the ability to have their desired family size. The availability of family planning in resource-poor settings represents one of the most significant public health success stories of the past century. Family planning is unique among health interventions in the breadth of its benefits, family planning decreases maternal and child mortality, empowers women, reduces poverty and it lessens stress on the natural and political environment.
Discussion
The decision to enter into a marriage and have children is one most people make over their lifetime. It is a big decision and there are