History Main / FantasyContraception

* Similarly, Roy of ''OrderOfTheStick'' was the result of a Protection spell failing.

* In the ''ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'' books, it's mentioned offhand that Highborn women can control their fertility. However, the social structure frequently puts them in social situations where they must voluntarily give up this control to fulfill a constract.

* In the novel ''Never Let Me Go'', the main characters cannot reproduce because they are [[spoiler: clones]]. This is actually kind of a plot point when one of Kathy's teachers walks in on her holding a baby doll and listening to the song from whence the book gets its title, she thinks that Kathy is sad because she cannot have children.

*** Howeve,r it seems Dominic [[spoiler: Didn't needed to worry about getting anyone pregnant; He's sterile]]

* The ''Inda'' universe takes the concept a step further. Women don't drink an herbal potion to ''prevent'' pregnancy; they won't get pregnant ''unless'' they drink it in advance. It's one of many little peculiarities of everyday life caused by the magic latent to the world. Of course, this, combined with the magically-induced nonexistence of STDs, leads to [[EverybodyHasLotsOfSex lots and lots of loving]].

* Jean Auel's ''{{Clan of the Cave Bear}}'' has the herbal method.

* In a WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids example: the GreenSkyTrilogy makes a point of this. A common, parasitic shrub that grows in the tops of the city-trees has a contraceptive effect, and wafers made from the shrub are freely available among the Kindar. In fact, the Ol-Zhaan social elite and those between 18-25 are required to take them, ostensibly so they can concentrate on their social responsibilities (apprenticeships for ordinary Kindar, administrative tasks for Ol-Zhaan). More sinisterly, making sure the Ol-Zhaan cannot have families keeps them from passing on potentially dangerous knowledge and keeps them isolated from ordinary Kindar. The fact that contraceptive herbs do not grow underground is part of the reason for the Erdlings' food shortages, as they are simply too many and the food sources too few. As a result, sex is one of the few things the Kindar are much more open about than Erdlings.

** Notably, this being a 'verse in which women are the dominant gender, it's [i]males[/i] who take the contraceptive brews. The only healing brews we see women drinking are general healing tonics and those designed to ease menstrual discomfort (the stronger the woman's magic, the worse her "moontime" pain is).

**** This troper didn't know that (neither the info about rosemary, nor the idea that the listed herbs were a recipe/guide), but [i]has[/i] run into a lot of herbal tea recipes for parsley tea, specifically "to induce menstruation"... Most sites were none too clear on whether it was for those with an irregular cycle, or those with a specific [*ahem*] irregularity.

** To be clear: while inter-House 'relationships' per se are not unknown, it seems to be tolerated only in casual or short-term circumstances: one night stands, flings, or hired company is okay, but serious romance is not. An inter-House couple who "live together as husband and wife" are looked upon as shameful and as bad influences, and canon makes it clear that marriage between Houses is [i]prohibited by law[/i].

* In ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' this comes up as a plot point when the bride of Boy Prince Tommen was revealed to be taking contraceptive or abortifacients herbs, which was used as damning evidence in a trial, as she should not have had any reason to need to do so.

* In {{Dune}} the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood have developed their Prana-Bindu nerve control to such a degree that they can choose when to get pregant and what gender of child to conceive. It makes their work of breeding the Kwisatz Haderach possible but doesn't make much room for love.

** Contraceptive herbs (such as nararoot, which is effectively maidenweed) are hidden away in the mundane equipment list in the 3.0/3.5e ''ForgottenRealms Campaing Setting'' book.

*** However is seems Dominic [[spoiler: Didn't needed to worry about getting anyone pregnant,He's sterile]]

[[folder:Fanfic]]

* Although it's not really an issue in-game (with one major exception for female characters in a romance with Alistair), Grey Wardens in DragonAge are apparently sterile (or practically sterile). The darkspawn taint apparently has an impact on the character's vigor; Morrigan in particular mentions some rather lurid tales about the Grey Wardens' fabled [[DoubleEntendre endurance]].

* In many of Vonda N. [=McIntyre=]'s novels, everyone learns to control their fertility (among [[AwesomeButPractical other things]]) by way of a process similar to biofeedback. In ''Dreamsnake'', the treatment that renders healers immune to poisons and diseases also sterilizes them; however, it's stated that if they ''did'' conceive, the baby wouldn't be viable. As a result, they don't take chances, and learn "biocontrol" anyway.

* In a WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids example: the GreenSkyTrilogy makes a point of this. A common, parasitic shrub that grows in the tops of the city-trees has a contraceptive effect, and is freely available among the Kindar. In fact, the Ol-Zhaan social elite and those between 18-25 are required to take them, ostensibly so they can concentrate on their social responsibilities (apprenticeships for ordinary Kindar, administrative tasks for Ol-Zhaan. More sinisterly, making sure the Ol-Zhaan cannot have families keeps them from passing on potentially dangerous knowledge and keeps them isolated from ordinary Kindar. The fact that contraceptive herbs do not grow underground is part of the reason for the Erdlings' food shortages, as they are simply too many and the food sources too few. As a result, sex is one of the few things the Kindar are much more open about than Erdlings.

* In MassEffect, it's implied that asari matings only bear fruit if the 'mother' asari wants to become pregnant.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium Silphium]], a plant commonly used as an oral contraceptive in Ancient Greece and Rome. It's extinct, so nobody knows how effective it was, but it seems as though it really did work.

** Contraceptive herbs are hidden away in the mundane equipment list in the 3.0/3.5e ''ForgottenRealms Campaing Setting'' book.