History Main / FantasyContraception

* In the ''Literature/{{Graceling}}'' world both Katsa and Bitterblue use seabane, an herb that serves as both birth control and an abortifacient. In the companion novel, the eponymous Fire is given birth control plants by her father, and Fire later makes the decision to take a certain type of medicine that will leave her permanently unable to have children.

** Elves cannot crossbreed with [[WitchSpecies Sharkhi]]. But as Cantor's parents found out, human-elf hybrids can crossbreed with human-Sharkhi.

* ''Literature/TheScholomance'': MagicalSociety makes widespread use of a magic tea that works like the pill. Because it prevents menstruation entirely, it's doubly useful in the titular monster-infested WizardingSchool -- the scent of blood would [[MenstrualMenace be a hazard]]. Other magical contraception tends to be unreliable due to the ClapYourHandIfYouBelieve effect magnifying people's fear of it failing.

* In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'', one of the few commonly available magic items is the Maiden's Charm, which simply and infallibly prevents the wearer from becoming pregnant.

But in fantasy, there are limited options, since modern types of contraception will generally seem out of place (some of them are actually OlderThanTheyThink, although they still weren't necessarily common). The answer? Just plain make something up, or else dig up something that's real but relatively unknown. Or for that matter, fictionalize a real method -- the ones that find their way into fantasy works are sometimes safer, sanitized versions of how it really works. It rarely matters what -- the point is, the characters can entertain themselves as frequently as necessary without the writer having to worry about biological cause and effect getting in the way of the story.

* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': Zedd claims to have used "magical protection" while having sex with a woman in the past, so he couldn't be the father of her son. When pressed though, he admits to not having used it every time. The woman also had sex with another man around the same time. Kahlan eventually concludes he isn't the father after all.
* ''Series/KrodMandoonAndTheFlamingSwordOfFire'': Aneka frequently has sex with men to get things which the Resistance needs or in rituals, with no mention of pregnancy or [=STD=]s being a risk. However, later sheepskin condoms are shown to exist, as Zezelry, Bruce and Loquasto prepare to use them before having sex with the succubi (or incubus, in Bruce's case), so we can thus presume that she's got some too (or something else).

** A similar herb is included in the TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} supplement ''Gazetteer IV'', where it's listed alongside various poisons used in Borca. Justified, in that Borca was created to meet the needs of a BlackWidow darklord, so its native plant life naturally fulfills ''all'' her toxicological needs.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', has two if you are a humanoid. One is Night Tea and is used by biologically female humanoids. It needs to be taken daily to work. The other is Bachlor's Snuff and is for humanoid biological males, it renders them sterile for one to three days, and constant use leads to a gold tinge around the fingernails. However should a non-humanoid be the one trying to avoid getting pregnant they are rather out of luck.

* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'' provides several spells for preventing or terminating pregnancies, although since every self-respecting Hermetic mage takes regular doses of a LongevityTreatment that renders them permanently sterile, they don't come up as often as they might.
* ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye'' has a contraceptive herb that is considered sacred to the goddess of beauty, love and wine, which tends to be 100% effective. Witches can also learn to strike somebody barren, while this is traditionally used as a curse, some more enterprising witches have found an alternate market for this effect.
* The ''[[TabletopGame/MageTheAscension Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade]]'' supplement ''The Swashbuckler's Handbook'' is concerned with "enlightened" Renaissance courtiers, swashbucklers, and courtesans. Hence, one of the sample magics which it describes is "Courtesan's Draught", which reduces the risks of sexual activity.
* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', in [[ProudWarriorRace the Clans]], for members of the warrior caste, sex is purely for recreation. To prevenet pregnancies, all female warriors are given implants that render them infertile. There's one known case of a female warrior getting pregnant- Cadet Peri, who deliberately sabotaged her implant in order to conceive a child with Cadet Aiden, [[BrotherSisterIncest her sybkin]]. This child would eventually grow up to become a mechwarrior under Aiden's command, Mechwarrior Diana.
* In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'', one of the few commonly available magic items is the Maiden's Charm, which simply and infallibly prevents the wearer from becoming pregnant.

* ''VideoGame/FableII'' provides the player with condoms made from animal intestine, which may sound like something they made up but is [[AluminumChristmasTrees actually historical]].
* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' video game makes the same point about a Witcher being sterile as exists in the books. And as in the books, the protagonist can get plenty of use out of it.
* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', it's implied that asari matings only bear fruit if the 'mother' asari wants to become pregnant as their reproduction is really closer to modified parthogenesis than anything else.

* ''Webcomic/AModestDestiny'' has one character consider taking herbs to force an abortion. Yet another step on the slippery slope into DarkerAndEdgier that is the works of Sean Howard.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-05-27 Grace can't get pregnant in her non-human forms]] and a person given a female form by the TransformationRay Gun is [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2006-02-22 sterile for several days after transformation]].
* In ''Webcomic/ErrantStory'', any woman who knows the contraception spell can cast it by using her finger to draw the correct symbol on her lower abdomen and waiting at least five minutes. It has to be the ''right'' symbol, though; Meji's mother found out what happens when she was drunk and drew the wrong one.

* ''Podcast/MetamorCity'' has fertility suppression amulets, incubi burn through them in a month.

* In Rene Barjavel's ''Literature/TheIcePeople'' (La Nuit des Temps) the people of the highly advanced ancient civilization all wear keys--actually rings with a pyramid-shaped setting. The key is used as both a debit card and an ID card, and is also an infallible contraceptive. People speak of taking off their keys when they want to have children.
* In the ''Literature/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 contract. Kendar women can do the same, but not with a Highborn lover, which is a common source of problems.
* In Elizabeth [=McCoy=]'s ''Herb-Witch'' Duology there is widely available Dry Tea, made using the blood of maidens (the term being much stricter than a technical lack of intercourse). And, unlike many versions, there are variants for men and women. This is specifically a preventative, though there are different potions to cause abortion.
* In a twist, the ''Literature/{{Deverry}}'' series, herbal preventatives aren't specifically referred to, although herbal abortifacients are a few times. The character Jill's problem with conceiving is presented as something much more basic: lots and lots of exercise,[[note]]a problem noted with women athletes in activity-heavy sports[[/note]] and a questionable level of nutrition at times.
* Sholan women in the ''Literature/SholanAllianceSeries'' can control their own fertility naturally, at least until some of the Leska pairs are exposed to the genetically altered ni'uzu virus.
* The second ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' novel, ''Agatha H and the Clockwork Princess'', mentions a weed-like plant created by an unknown female spark which acts as an effective contraceptive when brewed in a tea. Few women in Europa go without their morning 'Maiden's Cup'.
* The governments of Earth in ''Literature/TheColorOfDistance'' have been enacting population control methods for a few generations. All adults, male and female, are required to have taken a contraceptive shot. It can be temporarily reversed later after they've been approved to have a child. Aliens, healing Juna Saari, innocently reverse that shot permanently. She then has the bad luck to have an affair with a man who never had the shot-his father was concerned that it could damage his fertility, and anyway as long as any women he slept with were sterile what would it matter?
* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/PlanetPirates'' series has contraceptive implants that last a few years before needing replacement.
* Creator/ElizabethMoon's ''Literature/FamiliasRegnant'' series likewise features contraceptive implants, which are standard for women in Familias space. The fact that some of the other factions ''don't'' use them is a plot point twice.
* In the Literature/BooksOfTheRaksura, queens and female Arbora (that is, all fertile female Raksura, as the warriors are sterile) can suppress their fertility at will.
* In ''Literature/TheRedTent'', Leah brews a tea from a type of fennel seed (possibly sylphium?) each day for a few years after multiple pregnancies started taking a toll on her. She gets pregnant again, though, after she runs out of seeds while the midwife is away on business.
* When Cherijo Grey Veil consummates her romance with Kao Torin in ''Literature/{{Stardoc}}'' she mentions having taken a contraceptive injection beforehand, which Kao later informs her was rather pointless since Jorenian males can naturally suppress their half of the process. [[spoiler:She later miscarries her and Duncan's first child in ''Shockball'' due to her HealingFactor mistaking the foreign DNA for a threat, and has her tubes tied to keep this from happening again. Her fellow doctor also manages to save the fetus and gestate her in a UterineReplicator.]]
* In ''Literature/TheIronDragonsDaughter'', there's a spell of contraception. [[ButWeUsedACondom Not a 100% reliable one, though]], since the goddess who powers it ''wants'' couples to have children.
* In the ''Literature/OneRoseTrilogy'' by Gail Dayton, the women of Adara can have themselves protected by a contraceptive spell. It's apparently 100% effective, unless something interferes with it...like the heroine's own "Godstruck" magic. Abortion is apparently legal in Adara "before the soul takes root", but since the only character we see consider having one is talked out of it, we don't see if that would be magical as well.
* Discussed in ''Literature/TheTraitorSonCycle'' when Morgon hears the women aboard his ship talk about the dangers of unprotected sex and starts figuring out how to make a magical contraception amulet.
* In ''Literature/AxisOfTime'', in the 21st century, women can receive an implant that can be controlled via a tablet and provides 100% contraception until such time as they choose to deactivate it or it stops working on its own (it has a finite life). Julia Duffy's implant is nearing its life, and she fears having a child, so she initiates the implant's final function, which permanently sterilizes her. When her husband finds out, they have a big fight over it, followed by a divorce. [[spoiler:Then he dies in a plane crash... [[FakingTheDead maybe]]]]. Since then, she becomes a mess, drinking and screwing her way through the war, regretting her decision and blaming herself [[spoiler:for his death]]. She finally gets better when she starts to go steady with Prince Harry.
* Similarly, in ''Literature/HonorHarrington'', women can get a 5-year contraceptive implant. It's actually mandated for any front-line female officer, but they have a right to extract the implant at any moment, but pregnant women are taken off ship duty and reassigned to safer (less radioactive) postings until they give birth or (more likely in this setting) put the fetus into a tube to be brought to term artificially. Implants are supposed to be replaced every 5 years. [[spoiler:Honor spends some time on a prison planet and is listed dead. When she comes back, a clerical error means that her implant is not replaced on time, so she gets pregnant during her affair with Earl White Haven]].
* In ''Literature/TheVorkosiganSaga'', Beta Colony has strict population control, because of a limited amount of natural resources. All girls and hermaphrodites are given a birth control implant upon reaching puberty, and only have it temporarily "switched off" when they earn a childbearing certificate (women are only allowed two children). As it also keeps a woman from having a period, nobody seems to mind. Cordelia has hers removed entirely after marrying Aral Vorkosigan (Barrayaran medical science being a couple generations or more behind Beta Colony's), and becomes pregnant almost immediately.
* ''Literature/IAmMordred'': Nyneve says as a sorceress that she controls when, and if, she'll have a baby. She regrets preventing it after losing her lover though.

* ''Literature/{{City of Bones|1995}}'' by Creator/MarthaWells:
** The bio-engineered krismen are almost entirely human in appearance but are not interfertile with humans. This and their [[STDImmunity near-total immunity to disease]] make them a popular choice of zero-complication hookup for human women.
** Khat doesn't fully understand the social ramifications of human pregnancy, since a kris woman who doesn't want a child can simply discard a new egg sac rather than implant it in her (or [[MisterSeahorse her partner's]]) marsupial pouch.
* ''Literature/TheSilerianTrilogy'': In spite of how much unprotected sex she has, Elelar never gets pregnant and thus finally concludes she's infertile. She's happy with this, because she never slept with a man whom she'd wanted to have a child by. However, it turns out she's been kept from conceiving by Dar, her people's goddess, as she's destined to bear the next [[BenevolentMageRuler Yarhdan]], so having children with other men presumably was an obstacle to that. After she meets and is seduced by the man destined to father the Yarhdan, Elelar gets pregnant at once.
* ''Literature/TheReluctantKing'': There's a reference to a "really effective" contraception spell loosening sexual mores in Novaria (pretty clearly based on Earth's birth control pill, which did this in the West).
* In ''Chronicles of a Strange Kingdom'' contraceptive spells had become very common on a HighFantasy planet Delta. This EternalSexualFreedom seems to be a fairly recent development, likely from commoditization of magic in the last few centuries. Plenty of people still stick to old morals. And there are multiple caveats:
** The spells cost money and need to be renewed every month for women or every 13 months for men. Those, who forget, are jokingly referred to as "those, who cannot count". This is how Elmar and several more unrecognized king's bastards were born.
** Different spells are required if one of the parents is an elf. Pureblood elves do know the spell, but tend to be carefree and forgetful. This was the case with Orlando, Mafey, Tolik and Cantor's maternal grandfather.
** Part-elves from Delta often don't know the spell and don't have money to pay a specialist, who does. That's how Orlando got himself a daughter.
** Elves cannot crossbreed with [[WitchSpecies Sharkhi]]. But as Cantor's parents found out, human-elf hybrids can crossbreed with human-Sharkhi.
** When the Sharkhi gods decide that a particular shaman needs children, no amount of magic can prevent conception. Again, Cantor and many of his paternal relatives.
** When [[AntiMagic magic stops working]] in a large region, it leads to a baby boom, including Khargan's child.
** Immature nymphs (late teens to early twenties[[note]]Physical and mental age. Nymphs seem to appear out of nowhere as ten-year-old girls.[[/note]]) are sterile. Also, they are nymphomaniacs that need to give IntimateHealing to two or three different men every week. Mature nymphs are fertile, but strictly monogamous. Half-nymphs are just ordinary, if sexually hungry, women.
** A twist that isn't a general rule. Cantor was sterile as a result of accidental poisoning, at one point he tried a nymph's healing to repair his scarred vocal cords, but instead became fertile.
* ''Literature/BlackDogs'': Jacyl gets Lyra some contraceptive pills she can use after having "{{the talk}}", for if she's attracted to any young men along their journey.
* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': People with significantly different {{Mana}} levels can't have children with each other, making UptownGirl situations quite rare. There are twists to this, however:
** Having a much higher or much lower quantity of mana in regards to one's own family is far from being unheard of. Those with significantly high levels of mana compared to the rest of their family have a chance of marrying up. Those with significantly low levels of mana compared to the rest of their family are put up for adoption in the lower classes, made servants in their own household or [[LockedAwayInAMonastery sent to the temple]], which means that those not sent to the temple will be marrying down compared to what their lineage should have allowed for.
** In the temple, people of [[SupernaturalElite noble]] birth with extremely low mana cohabitate with [[{{Muggles}} commoners]] raised to be their attendants. People are forbidden to marry, but the discrepency in status between masters and attendants means that sex still happens, usually without the attendant's consent. ChildByRape happens frequently enough that up until some time before Myne took over as orphanage director, the pre-baptism orphans were being cared for by former SexSlave attendants who had been dismissed for getting pregnant by their masters.
** Someone who is both female and a MageBornOfMuggles runs the risk of becoming a BreedingSlave for the SupernaturalElite.

* "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme," which is the refrain to, but [[RefrainFromAssuming not the title of]], ''Scarborough Fair'', is [[CommonKnowledge often said]] to be a list of herbal abortificients, though since the list [[NewerThanTheyThink wasn't actually added to the ballad until the nineteenth century]], it probably isn't. It is true that all of those herbs do have abortificient properties, to the point where some pregnant women are discouraged from eating rosemary.

[[folder:Comics]]

* Paraphrased from about one hundred thousand ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfictions: "[[{{Fanon}} He quickly waved his wand and muttered a Protection Spell...]]"
** {{Subverted|Trope}} in at least one fic. Ginny states that the reason she's pregnant ''again'' (she has as many children as Molly) is because she would rather raise all the children God gives her than use contraception potions which taste awful.
** And subverted in another fic, where they discover that since both Harry and Ginny were Parseltongues (she got it from her experience in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]''), they are both extremely fertile and no amount of spells or potions will keep them from conceiving. The only thing that works? [[spoiler: Muggle condoms. And even THAT'S not foolproof, they do break once.]]
* As well in a multiple ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fics with [[{{Fanon}} the contraception Jutsu.]]
** Specified in ''Fanfic/DreamingOfSunshine'', which notes that Tsunade invented a jutsu that not only prevents conception but also halts the menstrual cycle—which can be lifesaving in a world where one's enemies may be able to smell a single drop of blood from miles away—and is easy enough for Academy students to learn. The kunoichi of Konoha revere her for this.

* ''Fanfic/ObserveTheViewingGlobe'': The Universal Morphing Grid appears to provide all the protection against unplanned pregnancy that Power Rangers on active duty need. Only when they lose their powers are they forced to default to condoms and other traditional birth control methods. Which is extremely fortunate, because the same Grid forces Rangers into MateOrDie scenarios ([[NeverSayDie per se]]) on a regular basis, and masturbation is severely limited in the help it can provide.

* Inverted in ''Sailor Moon: Legends of Lightstorm'': All Sailor Scouts and Justice Champions are infertile by default. Their bodies naturally divert resources away from non-vital areas and towards vital areas, such as the mechanisms that generate their powers. Because of this, Sailor Scouts and female Justice Champions produce no eggs, while male Justice Champions produce no sperm. This can be undone by drinking a chemical that temporarily renders them fertile, an excellent source of which was found in the Tranquility gardens of Venus during the Silver Millennium.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'' fanfictions in which [[RuleSixtyThree Luffy is female]] and paired up with Trafalgar D. Water Law, he uses his powers to remove his sperm from her womb after each sexual encounter. Due to Luffy being a rubber person, condoms are not really an option and no available hormonal contraception can hold up to her metabolism.

* Legion in ''Manga/FairyTail'' fan fiction. Authors make mention of characters not only using traditional birth control methods like condoms and pills (and variants on the latter like wafers or potions), but implanted contraceptive lacrimas or wearable anti-fertility charms that may be removed if the user changes his/her mind, the use of area-effect enchantments to create suppression fields, the "humans and [[SummonMagic Celestial Spirits]] can't breed" explanation -- most of which [[STDImmunity also serve to prevent the spread of STDs]].
** Frequently, however, if characters who have sex are mentioned as using any of the above, [[CurseEscapeClause there exists a magic type]] [[MillionToOneChance or set of extraordinary circumstances]] [[ButWeUsedACondom that will override the contraceptive in question]].

* ''Fanfic/{{Enlightenments}}'': The use of contraceptives is the crux of [[spoiler:Dormin's plan to stop the Queen, by making Wander sterile until the Queen's body dies of old age.]]
* In ''Fanfic/FreedomsLimits'' Matron provides slave girls who get 'chosen' by soldiers with a kind of plant (it's only ever referred to as "the herb") which prevents pregnancy, as having a bunch of children running around would be inconvenient and make the slaves less productive. Madavi never mentions taking the herb after she starts having sex with Smador; he made sure to only sleep with her when she wasn't 'in heat' and so assumed they'd be in the clear (they're both quite young and know very little about reproduction). They find out that biology doesn't quite work like that [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome when Madavi does indeed get pregnant]].
* ''Fanfic/DisplacedTheLegendOfZelda'': Rare male version; Zelda whips up a contraception elixir for Link, intending to use this to start a discussion on whether they want to start having sex. After a few quick questions about duration and side effects, he drinks it down in one gulp and throws her onto the bed.
-->'''Zelda:''' I-it needs an hour to take effect!\\
'''Link:''' I can waste an hour.

* In ''Literature/SymphonyOfAges'', Ashe has the ability to manipulate liquids with magic, which he uses to keep his semen from entering his girlfriend's body.
** It's suggested the latter [[spoiler: is actually a capability of ''all'' dragons]].
** All 1st generation Cymrians can control their fertility (Book 2)
* In ''Literature/TheWitcher'', Witchers are sterile as a result of all the deliberate mutations they undergo -- which is damned convenient given how frequently Geralt ends up in bed with somebody (even sometimes using his sterility to help talk them into it). They're also [[IdealIllnessImmunity immune to disease]]. [[STDImmunity Helps a lot.]]
** It is implied a big part of magicians' incomes stem from production of aphrodisiacs, birth control, and magical cosmetics.
** Speaking of magicians: they are all infertile in the setting, too, as one of the side effects of heavy magic use. Which is PlayedForDrama with Yennefer, who desperately wants a child but has long passed the point of no return where mages become utterly barren (and her lover is Geralt, see above). It is one of the reasons she will go to suicidal lengths for Ciri, her and Geralt's ward and surrogate daughter.

* Tea made from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tansy tansy]] (a flowering herb) pops up in a number of works, such as ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' and ''Literature/TheNightAngelTrilogy'', although this induces abortions rather than prevents pregnancy in the first place. Although it can sound like the authors invented it, this one is actually based on real life--people used tansy in the Middle Ages and still do in some places.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' uses tansy tea relatively realistically: as an abortificient, not contraceptive. It is used in one character's backstory to terminate an unwanted pregnancy ("unwanted" in the sense of politically inconvenient to the mother's family; she herself very much wanted to keep the baby). It's strongly implied that there are in fact unpleasant side-effects, as [[spoiler:after her abortion the character in question has several stillbirths and eventually one underweight, sickly child, suggesting that the herb permanently affected her ability to bear children.]] The trope is played straighter with "moon tea," which includes tansy as just one of its ingredients and appears to work as a relatively safe and effective Plan B contraceptive with few (if any) side effects.

* The "humans and elves can't breed" version shows up in the ''Literature/KnownSpace'' books by Creator/LarryNiven, where "rishathra", sex between different humanoid species, is common, and on the Literature/{{Ringworld}} serves as a diplomatic tool. STDImmunity also applies.
* In the ''Literature/TortallUniverse'' women can and do buy magic charms that they can remove if they change their minds. [[SweetPollyOliver Alanna]] got one as soon as her period started. Keladry waited a bit longer, and her mother helped her find a mage who sells them. There's a mention in the Beka Cooper books of a dog having the same mark that makes the charms work carved into her collar as a sort of temporary spaying.
* In the [[Literature/CircleOfMagic Circle Universe]] an herb called droughtwort can be used to induce temporarily sterility in men.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** There are some references in the novels and side materials about [[DirtyOldWoman Nanny Ogg]] both serving as a midwife, and providing aid to girls who are pregnant but don't want to be. As she is shown to be a competent herbalist, it's apparent that an abortifacient is implied. Several other witches have been shown or mentioned trading in aphrodisiacs and contraceptives, allowing people to "sow their wild oats while ensuring crop failure, [[LampshadedDoubleEntendre if you know what I mean...]]". Nanny's cheerful attitude towards sex mean that she is most commonly associated with this sort of business, but in her first appearance even Granny Weatherwax set up a shop dealing such potions while in Ankh-Morpork.
** There is also mention of girls having to be "good at counting" to avoid pregnancy, which could refer to timing sex to your menstrual cycle--in RealLife, a ''very'' chancy method, but in a place where belief shapes reality, perhaps not as much.
** Pennyroyal is mentioned several times. It is a genuine abortifacient, though not a particularly safe one as it can cause haemorrhaging.
** Regular contraception also exists, however; it is stated several times that without Mr. Sonky, and the rubber product named after him, Ankh-Morpork's housing shortage would be even worse.
** Creator/TerryPratchett is actually quite proud that he could include a condom factory in Anhk-Morpork, because it grounds the city and its culture firmly in reality. You could never get away with that in Middle Earth.
* Victoria from ''Literature/TheGardellaVampireChronicles'' takes an anti-contraception potion.
* In the novel ''Literature/NeverLetMeGo'', 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 and rocking a pillow as if it were a baby and listening to the song from whence the book gets its title, she thinks that Kathy is sad because she cannot have children.
* ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar''
** In the setting, there are two different herbal compounds available for female Heralds (and presumably anyone else). Moonflower is a combination contraceptive/period regulating drug that appears to be at least as reliable as the modern birth control pill. Should you slip up, though, there's at least one herbal abortifacient readily available.
** [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent Gryphons]], meanwhile, have to go through several steps before doing the deed in order to ''become'' fertile[[note]]If you're curious, females must fast and then gorge themselves to trick their bodies into thinking food for offspring is plentiful, and males must lower their body temperature through rest or magic to bring sperm out of dormancy. And the sex has to be really good afterward for a successful conception -- the better the deed, the higher the chances of multiple offspring[[/note]]. As a [[CreatingLifeIsAwesome created species]], this was set up deliberately -- they only get kids if they really want them. Risk-free sex at all other times is a bonus.
* In Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Theatre/SwanLake'' retelling ''Literature/TheBlackSwan'', [[spoiler: Odile]] gives Odette two magical necklaces for a wedding gift--one is a fertility charm, the other is "the opposite."

* Creator/GlenCook's ''Literature/GarrettPI'' novels mention a kind of amulet, worn on a woman's wrist, that prevents conception and [=STDs=]. This turns out to be notably plot-relevant in a few of the books. On one occasion, the ''lack'' of an amulet is what the viewpoint character notices, because it was very relevant to the situation he and his client were in. [[spoiler:Also relevant to the plot, as her already being pregnant helped set a crime in motion.]] Later in the series, use of amulets allows Singe the ratwoman to suppress her breeding cycle, which is essential for her independence as ratpeople are ''very'' prolific if Nature is allowed to take its course.
* ''Literature/TheAssassinsOfTamurin'': Makina Seval's right-hand sorceress Nilang provides her AmazonBrigade, including the heroine, with potions, salves, and herbs to prevent pregnancy. No details about the "preparations" are described for us.

* The ''Literature/{{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 [[STDImmunity magically-induced nonexistence of [=STDs=]]], leads to [[EverybodyHasLotsOfSex lots and lots of loving]].
* In Creator/TadWilliams' ''Literature/TheWarOfTheFlowers'', the main character Theo is pulled into the realm of TheFairFolk and eventually has an romantic encounter with a girl named Poppy. Before they have sex, she tells him that girls in that world learn a magical charm (essentially a minor spell) to prevent pregnancy once they hit puberty.
* In the ''Literature/{{Graceling}}'' world both Katsa and Bitterblue use seabane, an herb that serves as both birth control and an abortifacient. In the companion novel, the eponymous Fire is given birth control plants by her father, and Fire later makes the decision to take a certain type of medicine that will leave her permanently unable to have children.
* Typically, the "advanced" human species in Creator/OlafStapledon's novels have a very high level of control over their bodies, and one consequence is that they won't conceive unless they actually want to.
* In ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood have developed their Prana-Bindu nerve control to such a degree that they can choose when to get pregnant 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. [[spoiler: This actually kickstarts the plot, as Jessica, who had fallen in love with Leto, chose to give him the boy he wanted instead of the girl the Bene Gesserit demanded, meaning the Kwisatz Haderach came a generation early...and out of the Bene Gesserit's control.]]
* In many of Vonda N. [=McIntyre=]'s novels, everyone learns to control their fertility by way of a process similar to {{biofeedback}}. In ''Literature/{{Dreamsnake}}'' (expanded later into "Of Mist and Sand and Grass") this technique is known simply as 'Control' and works by altering blood flow to the generative organs, 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 Creator/RandallGarrett and Vicki Heydron's ''Gandalara Cycle'', the women of a HumanSubspecies are completely aware of their own fertility.
* In the ''Literature/VoidTrilogy'' by Creator/PeterFHamilton contraceptives are mentioned a few times; outside the void it is implied that one of the features of bionics is a built-in contraceptive and inside the void a concoction is ingested by the males to make them temporarily infertile.
* In a WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids example: the ''Literature/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 13-25 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.
* ''Literature/TheCaseOfTheToxicSpellDump'' had the main character commenting on various forms of contraceptives in the {{Magitek}} UrbanFantasy world of his, including the traditional (involving crocodile dung)[[note]]Actually used in ancient Egypt![[/note]], before saying his was a jar with a rooster's cock and a few other things stuffed under his bed. His girlfriend has a different method involving a "cup of roots".
* In the ''Literature/BlackJewels'' trilogy, there are several references to a "contraceptive brew".
** Notably, this being a 'verse in which women are the dominant gender, it's ''males'' who take the contraceptive brews. The only healing brews we see women drinking are general healing tonics and those designed to ease menstrual discomfort.

* When Cherijo Grey Veil consummates her romance with Kao Torin in ''Literature/{{Stardoc}}'' she mentions having taken a contraceptive injection beforehand, which Kao later informs her was rather pointless since Jorenian males can naturally suppress their half of the process.

* ''The Case of the Toxic Spelldump'' by Creator/HarryTurtledove had the main character commenting on various forms of contraceptives in the {{Magitek}} UrbanFantasy world of his, including the traditional (involving crocodile dung), before saying his was a jar with a rooster's cock and a few other things stuffed under his bed. His girlfriend has a different method.

* In ''Fanfic/FreedomsLimits'' Matron provides slave girls who get 'chosen' by soldiers with a kind of plant (it's only ever referred to as "the herb") which prevents pregnancy, as having a bunch of children running around would be inconvenient and make the slaves less productive. Madavi never mentions taking the herb after she starts having sex with Smador; he made sure to only sleep with her when she wasn't 'in heat' and so assumed they'd be in the clear (they're both quite young and know very little about reproduction). They find out that biology doesn't quite work like that [[RealityEnsues when Madavi does indeed get pregnant]].

* ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'' has divinely sourced contraception. The women of Terre d'Ange will not get pregnant until they pray to Eisheth and light a candle specifically asking her to open their wombs.

* In Steven Brust's ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'', it is stated that essentially, [[AWizardDidIt some kind of magic exists]] by which women (or at least [[OurElvesAreBetter Drageran]] ones) can determine exactly when they want to be pregnant. The only illegitimate children come from marriages where one partner is sterile, and the term "bastard" is a lot more insulting for Dragaerans than for humans. This helps enforce the FantasticCasteSystem, since while short-term relationships between members of different Houses are not unknown, they almost never produce offspring and are illegal, and when they do they are shunned and houseless.

* ''Literature/BlackDogs'': Jacyl gets Lyra some contraceptive pills she can use after having "the talk", for if she's attracted to any young men along their journey.

** Different spells are required if one of parents is an elf. Pureblood elves do know the spell, but tend to be carefree and forgetful. This was the case with Orlando, Mafey, Tolik and Cantor's maternal grandfather.

** When Sharkhi gods decide that a particular shaman needs children, no amount of magic can prevent conception. Again, Cantor and many of his paternal relatives.
** When [[AntiMagic magic stops working]] in a large region, it leads to a baby boom. Khargan's child.

* ''Literature/TheSilerianTrilogy'': In spite of how much unprotected sex she has, Elelar never gets pregnant and thus concludes she's infertile. She's happy with this, because she never slept with a man whom she'd wanted to have a child by. However, it later turns she's been kept from conceiving by Dar, her people's goddess, as she's destined to bear the next [[BenevolentMageRuler Yarhdan]], so having children with other men presumably was an obstacle to that. After she meets and is seduced by the man destined to father the Yarhdan, Elelar gets pregnant at once.

* ''Series/KrodMandoonAndTheFlamingSwordOfFire'': Aneka frequently has sex with men to get things which the Resistance needs or in rituals, with no mention of pregnancy or [=STD=]s being a risk. However, later sheepskin condoms are shown to exist, as Zezelry, Loquasto and Bruce break prepare to use them before having sex with the succubi (or incubus, in Bruce's case), so we can presume that she's got some too (or something else).

* In the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' series, [[WitchSpecies Shota]] gives Richard and Kahlan a pendant that's meant to keep them from conceiving as a wedding gift, because she believes that their child will become a monster. Of course, in the next book it turns out the thing failed because of [[AntiMagic the Chimes]], so Kahlan, who ''also'' believes her child will be a monster (as male Confessors all turn out to be), [[GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion considers an abortifacient before deciding to keep it]]... and then is beaten nearly to death, [[ConvenientMiscarriage losing the baby anyway]]. The pendant isn't mentioned much later, though the two do go back to an active sex life once she recovers.