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Fertility Awareness Methods: Natural Family Planning
Many doctors are reluctant to recommend fertility awareness because of the high failure rate of the rhythm method, the first natural method to come into widespread use. However, newer natural methods listed in this section are as effective as artificial contraceptives. Additionally, users of these methods tend to be very loyal, continuing to practice NFP longer than users of any other non-surgical, non-prescription method, which would indicate high satisfaction among couples. To use fertility awareness as a form of birth control it is strongly recommended that you first confer with a trained counselor. Couples who use this method improperly are more likely to get pregnant than those who misuse artificial methods. Ovulation Method The ovulation method, or mucus method, requires that a woman be aware of what is taking place in her body. It is based on the observation that, in the absence of mucus, no egg is present, and sperm cannot survive long enough to fertilize an egg which may later be released. During a typical monthly cycle, a woman first has a few days of menstrual bleeding, followed by a few "dry days" when the vagina seems quite dry. Then, closer to ovulation she starts to have more wetness or mucus. As ovulation approaches, the mucus becomes clear and slippery and stretches without breaking, like a raw egg white. The last day of peak wetness is right before ovulation, then come days of less mucus. If any is noticed it will be cloudy. Any time the slippery stretchy mucus is noticed, intercourse should be avoided until two days after it is all gone -- about eight days out of each cycle.
A Woman's Monthly Cycle Above is a pictorial representation of a 32 day menstrual cycle. For this woman, ovulation takes place on day "17." Sympto-Thermal Method
By recording other cyclic symptoms, in addition to basal temperatures, the infertile time before ovulation can be more accurately predicted. Cervical mucus, mid-cycle cramping, breast sensitivity, and mood swings are all symptoms which give insight into the progression of a woman's cycle. With careful monitoring, it is not difficult to predict your fertile period, when intercourse is to be avoided. An NFP chart for recording these changes is available to view or print out. Intercourse during the time before ovulation is less safe than the time after ovulation because sperm have been known to live up to six days. For this reason, some couples choose to have sex only after the fertile period. This practice, known as the post-ovulatory temperature method, is the most effective of all methods of true contraception, with a failure rate of only 1% among perfect users. However, it is not recommended because it requires a very long period of abstinence. Featured Links: NFP Charting View or print out a full-sized chart for personal use The following links are provided as an informational resource or counterpoint and are not necessarily endorsed by the author:
Calendar Method The calendar method, or rhythm method, is the oldest and most widely practiced method of fertility awareness. It is based on three assumptions: (1) that ovulation occurs fourteen days before the beginning of menstruation, plus or minus two days (2) that sperm remain viable for three days, and (3) that the ovum survives for twenty-four hours. For a woman with very regular cycles, she needs merely to count backwards from the first day of her period to locate the day on which she ovulated. Using this information, she can predict when ovulation will occur the following month and avoid having intercourse around that time. Most women do not ovulate at the same time each month, and no woman's cycles are identical every time. For this reason, the rhythm method is not recommended unless your cycle is always the same number of days. Lactational Amenorrhea Method Even today, breastfeeding prevents more pregnancies in the world than all other methods of birth control combined. Utilizing what is known about the endocrine system and patterns of fertility in nursing women, a highly effective, temporary method of contraception has been developed called the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM). It can be used as long as a woman nurses her baby frequently and has no periods. Among breastfeeding women, menstruation will usually not occur for several months after the birth of a child. In fact, most breastfeeding women do not ovulate for four to 24 months after delivery, whereas non-breastfeeding women can ovulate as early as one or two months after delivery. The hormone that stimulates milk production decreases the hormone necessary for maintaining the menstrual cycle. For breastfeeding to act as an effective contraceptive, a woman must nurse ten or more times throughout the day and introduce no other foods into her baby's diet. Because babies need extra food at about six months, it is not recommended that this method be used beyond that time. Although nursing can act as a contraceptive for as long as three years, it will not postpone menstruation indefinitely. Many breastfeeding women will not ovulate until after the first period, but the longer LAM is used, the more likely it is that ovulation will precede the first menses. Cervical mucus changes will herald the first ovulation; a woman should start checking daily at six weeks postpartum. Pregnant women and new mothers should confer with a trained counselor before initiating LAM. Women with no periods who breastfeed without practicing LAM, have a pregnancy rate of 6% over a year. Perfect users can expect a failure rate of only 0.5%. The following link is provided as an informational resource or counterpoint and is not necessarily endorsed by the author: Electronic Fertility Computers
Featured Links · The following links are provided as an informational resource or counterpoint and are not necessarily endorsed by the author: o About the Persona Fertility Indicator: at Unipath o Babytech.com: Order fertility computers over the internet legally through this Canadian company o Naturalmethods.com: Order LadyComp and BabyComp temperature based computers through this Canadian company o ClearPlan Easy Fertility Monitor: Available from Drugstore.com, the ClearPlan Easy Fertility Monitor determines fertile periods for women who are trying to conceive. o Clearplan Fertility Monitor Test Sticks: A supply of 30 test sticks to use with the ClearPlan Fertility Monitor, fromDrugstore.com. WITHDRAWAL Withdrawal, also known as coitus interruptus, has long been used for contraception as a natural response to the discovery that ejaculation into the vagina causes pregnancy. It requires no devices, involves no chemicals, and is available in any situation at no cost. Withdrawal is accomplished then, during intercourse, the man pulls out his penis just before ejaculation. This requires much discipline. As orgasm is impending, a man may not withdraw in enough time to prevent semen from escaping into the vagina. Although withdrawal has no known side effects, interruption of the sexual response cycle can greatly diminish the pleasure of a couple. Some couples, however, have worked out these problems and use withdrawal successfully. This article has been posted with the permission of © Monnica Terwilliger 2000 and can be found at the site: Epigee Birth Control Guide: The Human Handbook to Conscientious Contraception and Sensible Sexuality http://www.epigee.org/guide |
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Fertility
awareness, or natural family planning, has been used successfully since
the 1930's to edict a woman's fertile days. These methods are based
on the fact that fertilization is most likely to occur around the time
of ovulation. Intercourse is avoided during those times when a woman
is fertile, thus preventing conception. Fertility awareness methods
are the only methods of birth control which require the cooperation
of both partners. Advantages of these methods are that they are very
inexpensive, do not require the use of artificial devices or drugs,
and have no harmful side-effects. In addition, many people prefer a
natural, mutual method of preventing pregnancy. Even if fertility awareness
isn't used as contraception, every woman can benefit from understanding
the workings of her body.
One
new method of birth control is a small electronic fertility computer,
marketed under the name Persona, which tells a woman which days she
is fertile. Fertile days are indicated with a red light and infertile
days with a green light. If the light is yellow, the woman takes a urine
test which changes the light to green or red, based on the amount of
hormone found in the urine. This method is now available in Europe and
Canada, where manufacturers boast a failure rate as low as 6% among
women who abstain on fertile days as indicated by the device. Clinical
trials are now being conducted to obtain FDA approval, but such devices
are currently not on the market in the United States. One advantage
of this method is that charting body signs is not necessary. Disadvantages
include the expense of the computer and the need to purchase urine test
sticks for use eight days out of each cycle. Additionally, this method
is currently only being recommended for women whose cycles are between
23 and 35 days.
Other
models measure and store basal temperature readings, like the LadyComp
and BioSelf models pictured on the right. The LadyComp device can be
used by women with longer or irregular cycles, such as those experienced
postpartum.