Family planning can involve a number of methods to prevent pregnancy or to increase the odds of conception. With these methods, you can limit the number of children you have or space their births out as you wish. However, there are barriers you may encounter while attempting to use family planning methods. Some barriers may cause you to rule out only certain methods, while others limit the effectiveness of them all.
Irregular Menstrual Cycles
The Utah Department of Health explains that one natural family planning method involves keeping track of your menstrual cycles to identify the days when ovulation, and therefore conception, is most likely. This method relies on a regular menstrual cycle of 26 to 32 days, with the first day of your period counting as day 1, and an ovulation window of days 8 to 19. If your menstrual cycle falls outside of this range or is irregular, you will not be able to use this method successfully.
Continuous Vaginal Secretions
If you do have irregular menstrual cycles, the Utah Department of Health advises the Two-Day Method, in which you monitor your vaginal secretions. You are most fertile the day you notice the appearance of these fluids and the following day. However, if you have continuous vaginal secretions, you may not notice when they increase to signal fertility. If this is the case, the Two-Day Method is not for you.
Reproductive Conditions
Certain conditions involving the reproductive organs are barriers to any form of family planning, reports Harvard Medical School. Ovarian cysts, uterine or Fallopian tube abnormalities and pelvic inflammatory disease are some examples of female conditions that may prevent pregnancy.
Sperm flow problems, low hormone levels and testicular abnormalities may prevent men from reproducing.
Weight
If your weight is abnormal, whether too low or too high, it can reduce the effectiveness of family planning. The Langone Medical Center at New York University cites obesity, which is a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater, as a cause of infertility in both sexes. The Center also advises that weighing too little may cause ovulation to stop, making pregnancy without medical intervention impossible.
Age
You can have difficulty conceiving according to your family plan once you reach the age of 30. Women at this age begin to experience a slowdown in ovulation, and the process also becomes less effective, states Harvard Medical School. Men continually produce sperm regardless of advanced age. However, certain medical conditions, such as cancer, that can limit male fertility are more likely to occur in older men, advises the Langone Medical Center.
