was a Japanese medical doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. His natural father's family name was Nakamura, but Kyusaku was adopted by the Ogino family in 1901. Ogino studied infertility and developed a method to estimate the fertile period of the menstrual cycle based on the length of a woman's past cycles. This knowledge could be used by couples seeking

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops (gestation, gestates) inside a woman, woman's uterus (womb). A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occur ...

to time intercourse so as to maximize the chances of conception. In 1930, John Smulders,

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physician from the

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, used this discovery to create a method for ''avoiding'' pregnancy. Smulders published his work with the Dutch Roman Catholic medical association, and this was the official Rhythm Method promoted over the next several decades. Ogino opposed the use of his method for contraception. He argued that its failure rate was too high: to promote it for contraception, despite the availability of other effective contraceptive methods, would result in many abortions from unwanted pregnancies. Despite this, the Rhythm Method of contraception is ironically referred to as the in Japan. Babies born to parents using this method are known in France as "bébés Ogino."

References

1882 births 1975 deaths Japanese gynaecologists Japanese scientists Japanese obstetricians University of Tokyo alumni Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class People from Aichi Prefecture {{japan-med-bio-stub