contraception

contraception: any means used to reduce the risk of pregnancy, including, but not limited to, abstinence, barrier methods (e.g. (e.g. external condoms and internal condoms), hormonal methods (e.g. pill, patch, injection, implant, IUD and ring), and other nonhormonal methods (e.g. sterilization and nonhormonal IUDs). Contraceptive methods may also be known as birth control methods, though the former is the preferred term.