Natural family planning, also known as fertility awareness, is the practice of monitoring naturally occurring symptoms in your body to determine when you are fertile. Natural family planning can be used as a method of birth control or as a means of increasingly the likelihood of conception, but in either case, it must be practiced diligently for it to be effective.
Methods
Natural family planning consists of various methods, which may be referred to as the Billings Ovulation method, the cervical mucus method, the basal body temperature method, the Creighton Model or the standard days methods. All of these terms refer to ways of identifying and predicting when you are fertile so that you can achieve or avoid pregnancy.
Benefits
Natural family planning allows you to avoid the side effects of other forms of birth control such as birth control pills or intrauterine devices, notes the Feminist Women's Health Center. It is also acceptable for couples who may have religious objections to other forms of birth control, and it can help you gain a greater understanding of your menstrual cycle and overall gynecological health.
Fertility Symptoms
Natural family planning involves monitoring three key fertility symptoms: basal body temperature, cervical fluid and cervical position.
Basal body temperature is the lowest temperature your body reaches during sleep. As you approach ovulation, hormonal changes in your body cause a slight increase in temperature. You should take your temperature every morning when you wake up, before taking a drink of water or getting out of bed. An increase in temperature indicates that you have ovulated and are therefore fertile.
Cervical fluid is a mucus-like substance produced by your body in the days leading up to ovulation. According to Toni Weschler, author of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility," you should check for cervical fluid whenever you go to the bathroom and should consider yourself fertile as soon as cervical fluid is present.
Cervical position is an optional sign that can be used to confirm the other symptoms. When you are in your fertile phase, your cervix will rise and soften. You can check your cervical position by inserting a clean finger into your vagina until you feel the opening of the uterus.
Charting Cycle
To practice natural family planning effectively, you must record your symptoms daily on a fertility chart. Though you may think you can remember your observations, Weschler cautions that it is difficult to do so on a daily basis, and that not having a visual representation of your symptoms will compromise the effectiveness of fertility awareness. A visual chart also makes it easier to identify any unusual occurrences in your cycle that could indicate potential health problems.
Considerations
According to Planned Parenthood, between 12 percent and 25 percent of couples who use natural family planning methods will become pregnant if they fail to use the methods consistently or correctly. Make sure you understand your fertility symptoms before you attempt to use natural family planning as a form of birth control. Natural family planning may not be as effective for you if you have a very irregular cycle. Fertility awareness does not protect against HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.
References
- Feminist Women's Health Center: Fertility Awareness
- "Taking Charge of Your Fertility"; Toni Weschler; 2001
- Planned Parenthood: Fertility Awareness Methods
