Learning About Natural Family Planning

What is natural family planning?

Natural family planning is a way to find out which days of the month you are most likely to get pregnant. To prevent pregnancy, you do not have sex on those days. If you want to get pregnant, you have sex during those days. But a woman may use natural family planning and still not get the results she wants.

This method may not work well for you if your periods are not regular. It also may not work well if you have problems keeping track of your periods or taking your temperature at the same time each day.

How well does it work as birth control?

Family planning takes a lot of effort. You must be very aware of your body. And you must track many things closely. It can be very hard to do "exactly as directed." This type of family planning does not work better than other birth control methods.

In the first year of use:

  • When natural family planning is used exactly as directed, 5 women out of 100 have an unplanned pregnancy.
  • When it is not used exactly as directed, 24 women out of 100 have an unplanned pregnancy.

How do you find out when you are likely to get pregnant?

A woman who has regular periods has about 5 to 9 fertile days each month. These are the days when she can get pregnant. To find out when you are fertile, you must know when you release an egg (ovulate).

There are several ways to find out when you are fertile. To get the result you want, you may need to use some of these methods at the same time.

You should check your body changes using these methods for several months before you use them to avoid pregnancy.

  • In the calendar, or rhythm method, you write down when you start your period. This tells you how long your cycle is. It also tells you how regular it is. With this information, you can guess which days of the month you are most likely to be fertile. This is between 9 and 17 days before your next period. This method works best if you have regular cycles.
  • In the basal body temperature (BBT) method, you take your temperature first thing in the morning every day. This gives you your BBT. This is your lowest temperature during the day. Your BBT goes down 1 to 2 days before ovulation. Then it goes back up 1 to 2 days after you ovulate. If you use care to track your BBT, you may be able to guess when you are fertile.
  • In the cervical mucus (Billings) method, you check the mucus in your vagina every day. You write down the amount, stickiness, and color of the mucus. The mucus changes during your menstrual cycle. If you track it, you may be able to guess when you are fertile.
  • In hormonal monitoring, you buy a kit that lets you check the amount of a hormone in your urine. The amount of the hormone tells you if you may be ovulating.
  • In the combined (symptothermal) method, you use your basal body temperature, changes in your cervical mucus, and a hormone test to guess when you ovulate. You also watch for signs of ovulation. These include tender breasts, belly pain, and mood changes.

Be sure to tell your doctor about any health problems you have or medicines you take. He or she can help you choose the birth control method that is right for you.

What are the advantages of natural family planning?

  • It may fit well with your religious or personal beliefs about birth control.
  • You are able to use a "natural" method of birth control. It doesn't use medicines, surgery, or other devices.
  • You are aware of your cycle and the changes it causes in your body.

What are the disadvantages of natural family planning?

  • It does not always work very well.
  • It doesn't protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as herpes or HIV. If you're not sure if your sex partner might have an STI, use a condom to protect against disease.
  • It may not work well when you have a lot of stress, have just had a baby, or stop taking birth control pills. It also may not work well just before menopause.
  • You must pay attention to body changes and record all details.
  • You can't use the method until you've tracked body changes for a few months.

Where can you learn more?

Go to https://www.healthwise.net/patientEd

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