For millions of people, contraception is the difference between a pregnancy planned for the right time and one that arrives unexpectedly; between being able to continue an education or career and having to put those plans on hold; between having the family one wants and facing circumstances one never anticipated.
Yet contraception is still surrounded by myths, embarrassment, and unequal access. Conversations about it can be challenging even for partners, and online misinformation can make a million women who want to delay or avoid pregnancy still have an unmet need for contraception. In India too, while contraceptive use has increased substantially, questions about awareness, access, choice, and gender responsibility remain part of the larger reproductive-health conversation.
Why contraception matters
Contraception is not simply about avoiding pregnancy. It can help couples plan the timing and spacing of children according to their circumstances and preferences.
For women, being able to plan pregnancies can have consequences far beyond reproductive health. It can make it easier to continue education, stay employed, and participate in economic and social life. WHO notes that family planning can support gender equality, education, and economic opportunity while improving health outcomes.
Spacing pregnancies can also provide a woman's body more time to recover between births and allow families to prepare emotionally and financially for another child.
For adolescents and young women, access to accurate reproductive-health information is particularly important because unintended pregnancy can have significant health, educational, and social consequences.
India’s contraception story
India has made substantial progress in family planning, but gaps remain.
The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) reported a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 56.5% among women aged 15-49. India's unmet need for family planning was 9.4%, while the proportion of demand satisfied through modern contraceptive methods rose from 72% in NFHS-4 to 74.2% in NFHS-5.
These figures represent progress, but averages can conceal differences between communities and regions.
Access may still be affected by distance from health facilities, cost, method availability, concerns about side effects, lack of privacy, misinformation, and social attitudes. WHO identifies limited choice, fear or experience of side effects, poor-quality services, gender-related barriers, and social opposition as factors that can contribute to unmet need.
The challenge, therefore, is not merely to increase contraceptive use. It is to ensure that people have accurate information and a genuine choice among safe and appropriate methods.
What are the contraceptive options?
No single contraceptive method suits everyone.
Available options include condoms, oral contraceptive pills, injectable contraceptives, implants, intrauterine devices (IUDs), emergency contraception, and permanent methods such as female sterilisation and vasectomy. Each method has different benefits, limitations, and requirements.
Long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as implants and IUDs, can provide highly effective pregnancy prevention without requiring daily action. Pills, condoms, and other short-term methods may be preferable for people who want greater control over starting or stopping contraception.
The choice should reflect reproductive goals, medical history, preferences, and circumstances. A healthcare professional can help determine whether a particular method is appropriate.
Importantly, contraceptive counselling should be about choice rather than pressure.
Image: Maginific
Condoms have a special role
Condoms are different from most other contraceptive methods because they can help prevent both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.
WHO notes that condoms are the only contraceptive method that protects against both pregnancy and STI transmission.
This distinction is important. A contraceptive pill, implant, or IUD may prevent pregnancy but does not protect against STIs. For people at risk of sexually transmitted infections, condoms remain an important component of safer sex.
Breaking contraception myths
Misinformation remains one of the most significant barriers to informed contraceptive decisions.
One common fear is that modern contraceptives cause permanent infertility. WHO states that modern contraceptive methods do not cause infertility. Fertility generally returns after stopping reversible methods, although the timing can vary according to the method.
Another misconception is that contraception is primarily a woman's responsibility.
Family planning involves both partners. Men can participate by using condoms, discussing reproductive goals with their partners, and considering permanent contraception such as vasectomy when appropriate.
The conversation also needs to move away from embarrassment. Reproductive health is healthcare, and asking questions about contraception should not be treated as something shameful.
The information gap
Having contraception available is only part of the solution.
People also need reliable information about how methods work, their effectiveness, possible side effects, and when they should seek medical advice.
This is increasingly important in the digital age. Social media and online forums have made reproductive-health information easier to find, but they have also made misinformation easier to spread.
WHO identifies misinformation and poor-quality information among barriers that can influence contraceptive decisions.
A viral post or anecdotal experience cannot substitute for individual medical advice. What works well for one person may not suit another.
A wider range of choices
The contraception landscape is also evolving.
On September 23, 2026, WHO announced new recommendations aimed at expanding access to a broader range of safe and effective contraceptive options, including emergency contraception and longer-lasting implants. The organisation also highlighted ongoing research into new male contraceptive methods.
The development of additional options could eventually give couples greater flexibility in sharing contraceptive responsibility.
In India, expanding access must be matched with counselling, dependable supply chains, trained healthcare workers, and respect for individual preferences.
Beyond birth control
World Contraception Day is ultimately about much more than preventing unintended pregnancy.
It is about ensuring that women and couples can make decisions based on accurate information, voluntary choice, and access to appropriate healthcare.
India's progress in family planning demonstrates what can happen when awareness and services expand. The next challenge is ensuring that progress reaches underserved populations, including those in remote areas and communities where misinformation, stigma, or lack of privacy can hinder access.
Contraception should not be viewed simply as a way to prevent something from happening.
At its best, it provides people the opportunity to plan something important: their families, their health, and their future.
And that is why informed choice should remain at the centre of the contraception conversation.
(Note: Dr (Prof) Sadhana Kala is a USA-trained robotic & laparoscopic surgeon, Uppsala University, Sweden, trained fertility specialist, Icon Endoscopic Surgeon of North India, and National Icon Endoscopic Surgeon of India. She is rated as India's Best Gynecologist by Google.)
(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.)