Natural family planning is a type of birth control that's often used in place of artificial means of birth control, such as condoms or birth control pills. There are several alternative methods for natural family planning. According to Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, all of the methods involve tracking your cycle to determine your fertile periods. If you are trying to avoid becoming pregnant, you can then abstain from intercourse during those periods.
Calendar Method
The calendar method is the most basic of the natural family planning alternatives. You'll need to keep track of your menstrual periods on a calendar for six months in a row. From that information, you can calculate the days you're most likely to be ovulating and avoid intercourse during that time period. Westheimer says that the calendar method is the least effective of all the natural family planning alternatives because, at best, the information gathered equates to a rough guess as to when you'll be fertile. Because women's cycles can vary widely from month to month, it's difficult to say exactly when you'll ovulate each month just by looking at a calendar.
Ovulation Method
The ovulation method involves analyzing the mucus at the opening of your vagina to determine whether you're likely to be ovulating. Most women find that their vaginal mucus changes throughout their cycle. At the beginning, there may not be much present, but a wet, slippery mucus appears when ovulation is near. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, you should avoid intercourse from the first day the mucus appears through four days after the last day that the mucus appears. The ACOG says that this method can be good for women who have irregular menstrual periods because it relies on physical evidence. However, mucus output can be affected by sexual excitement, lubricant use, certain medications and vaginal infections, all of which can lead to an inaccurate reading.
Basal Body Temperature Method
The basal body temperature method requires you to chart your body temperature each morning, as soon as you get out of bed. Most women will experience an increase of about 0.9 degrees in their body temperature when ovulating, so identifying this spike in body temperature helps you to identify your fertile period. When using the basal body temperature method, couples cannot have sexual intercourse from the last day of the woman's menstrual period through three days after the temperature spike. ACOG warns that illness, stress, irregular schedules and sleeping difficulties can all affect your body temperature and possibly render this method inaccurate.
References
- "Dr. Ruth's Pregnancy Guide for Couples"; Ruth K. Westheimer; 1999
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: ACOG Education Pamphlet
