A definition of modern contraceptive methods

Abstract

Modern contraceptive methods were invented so couples could act on natural impulses and desires with diminished risks of pregnancy.Modern contraceptivemethods are technological advances designed to overcome biology. In this regard,modern methods must enable couples to have sexual intercourse at any mutually-desired time. The term modern contraceptive is rarely defined. Instead, organizations and individuals who use the term simply name contraceptives and approaches that fit into their perception of that label. Thus, researchers who measure levels of modern contraceptive prevalence often differ in how they categorize particular methods. For example, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Guttmacher Institute [1] name lactational amenorrhea as a traditional method, while the World Health Organization [2] and researchers with the Demographic and Health Surveys label it as a modern method [3]. These organizations differ on other classifications as well. The UNFPA places some types of periodic abstinence in the modern category while the United Nations Population Division labels all periodic abstinence techniques as traditional methods [4].