Birth Control and Population Control: Improving Women’s Health and Global Prosperity

Leading international reproductive science expert from UCSF, in conversation with Dr. Anton Titov, MD, addresses the global question: Do women want fewer children than they actually have? The discussion explores how access to family planning and birth control improves maternal health, reduces unplanned pregnancies, and contributes to economic and social stability. The expert explains why healthy pregnancy is a planned pregnancy, how population growth impacts the least developed countries, and why inexpensive interventions like contraception and safe abortion can have dramatic benefits for women, children, and society at large.

Jump To Section

• Do Women Want Fewer Children Than They Have?
• Population Growth in Developing Countries
• Traditional and Social Factors Affecting Family Size
• Effective Interventions to Reduce Unplanned Pregnancies
• Economic and Political Context of Population Control
• Full Transcript

Do Women Want Fewer Children Than They Have?

When surveyed, women around the world consistently report wanting fewer children than they actually have. According to the expert, the primary reason for this gap is lack of access to family planning services. Even in regions with traditionally higher desired fertility — such as sub-Saharan Africa — the number of children women end up having often exceeds their preference. Universal access to contraception and safe abortion would allow women to have the number of children they want, naturally reducing population growth over time.

Population Growth in Developing Countries

Global population has grown from about 2.5 billion sixty years ago to over 7 billion today, with most growth occurring in the least economically developed countries. This trend creates socioeconomic challenges, as these regions often lack the high-level skills needed for success in the modern economy. Population growth without adequate resources exacerbates poverty, increases healthcare burdens, and strains education and infrastructure.

Traditional and Social Factors Affecting Family Size

In many traditional societies, large families serve as a form of economic security for parents in old age. Even if only one child achieves financial success, that child is expected to support the entire family. Cultural, religious, and social norms further influence family size, making population control a sensitive issue that must be approached with respect for local contexts.

Effective Interventions to Reduce Unplanned Pregnancies

According to a Global Health Policy Summit 2012 report, seven simple and inexpensive interventions — including family planning, safe abortion, and early prenatal care — dramatically reduce maternal mortality worldwide. These measures are far less costly than many government expenditures and have a profound impact on women’s health, child survival, and overall family well-being.

Economic and Political Context of Population Control

Fertility declines are possible even without major economic growth, as seen in countries like Bangladesh and Nepal. In Mexico, fertility rates have fallen sharply due to widespread access to reproductive health services. These examples show that policy changes and healthcare access can drive positive demographic change, even in regions with political instability or limited economic progress.

Full Transcript

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Do women around the world want to have fewer babies than they actually have? What effective and cheap birth control means for prosperity of women? Leading international reproductive science expert shares his view.

Birth control for population control is an effective method to improve the lives of women in many countries. Birth control for population control is an important social and health topic. Healthy pregnancy is a planned pregnancy. Human population control methods are an effective way to improve standards of living. Birth control is also not expensive and it reduces the burden on healthcare systems that unplanned pregnancies can create.

Medical second opinion also confirms that treatment is required. Medical second opinion helps to choose the best treatment for birth control side effects. Get medical second opinion on the best birth control and be confident that your treatment is the best.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Birth control for population control. There are 7 billion people on the planet today, almost triple the number about sixty years ago. Most of the population growth will come from the countries that are least economically developed. Potentially, population growth in the least developed countries and decline in population in the industrialized world creates a lot of social and socioeconomic tensions.

The problem is that the skills that are required in the modern market are very high-level skills. People from the most populous countries often do not have such skills. In traditional society, having more children serves as a little bit of insurance for the older age for the parents. Because some of the children will tend the farm perhaps, or do some family business. Even though only one of several children might “make it,” that child would take care of the entire family. So population growth and population control are very difficult subjects to approach. Can the population be controlled around the world? Is it worth doing so?

Specialist in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, UCSF: As you point out, this is a complicated issue — economically, politically, and socially. It has traditional and religious implications. I think the most direct answer to your question is: Yes, and the mechanism is simple.

When we ask women all around the world: How many children do you want to have? They tell us that they want to have fewer children than they actually do have. We could ask them why that is. They tell us they didn’t have access to family planning. In the healthcare systems all around the world, the numbers of children women have are far higher than women want to have. This is true even in sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of children desired is higher than in the rest of the world.

All around the world women say: I want to have fewer children than I’m likely to have. Please give me contraception and safe abortion. Sometimes if we simply gave all women the opportunity to have as many children as they want, they would have many fewer than they currently have. Population growth would gradually decline.

We see those declines in societies where there hasn’t been much economic growth. We see that where there’s been political chaos for much of the past 20 years. Great examples are these countries: Bangladesh, Nepal. In Mexico, fertility rates have declined dramatically.

The interventions that make that possible for women and for families are really clear. A report from the Global Health Policy Summit in 2012 showed that seven simple interventions decreased maternal mortality around the world dramatically. Those interventions were: family planning, safe abortion, and early prenatal care. They are very inexpensive compared to the other ways governments spend money.

That’s a long answer, but it’s a complicated question. However, I think the answers aren’t as complex as you might think.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Birth control for population control. Is it a cheap method to improve maternal and child health around the world? Does population growth control make sense?