Fertility awareness uses a variety of techniques to track a woman's menstrual cycle and fertility signs in order to identify days she is most fertile. It also is referred to as natural family planning, the ovulation method, the Billings method or the sympto-thermal method. Although it can be used to increase the chances of conceiving a baby, it can be used as a birth control method to avoid unwanted pregnancy as well.
Function
The fertility awareness birth control method monitors the calendar, basal body temperature, cervical mucus changes and other fertility signs to determine when a woman is at her most fertile. When this fertile period is determined, abstinence or a barrier method of birth control is used to prevent pregnancy.
Use
One technique used in fertility awareness is the calendar method. To use this method, a woman would track the length of her menstrual cycles for a period of at least 6 to 12 months. She would then subtract 18 days from the length of her shortest menstrual cycle to find the first day of her fertile period, and subtract 11 days from the length of her longest menstrual cycle to find the last day of her fertile period. To avoid pregnancy, she would abstain from intercourse or use another form of birth control pill from the first day of her fertile period until the last day of her fertile period.
Another fertility awareness technique involves tracking the basal body temperature. The basal body temperature is a woman's temperature first thing in the morning, before she gets out of bed. When a woman ovulates, her basal temperature will drop briefly and then rise several tenths of a degree for the remainder of her cycle. After a basal body temperature has been elevated for more than three days, a woman can conclude she has already ovulated and that she is no longer fertile and can resume sexual intercourse.
Finally, a woman can also monitor her cervical mucus to indicate when she is most fertile. After a woman stops bleeding from menstruation, the cervix will typically have a white, sticky mucus. This mucus is generally inhospitable to sperm and is not considered fertile. As the woman approaches ovulation, the mucus gets more watery and slippery. This mucus can indicate the woman is entering her fertile period. Right before and during ovulation, the mucus turns to resemble raw egg whites and has much of the same consistency. This is the most fertile type of cervical mucus. After ovulation, the cervical mucus will turn back to the sticky, white type of mucus seen early in the cycle and the woman can conclude her fertile period for the month is over.
Considerations
The fertility awareness method can use any one technique or a combination of all three. However, in order to make the fertility awareness method even more effective, other signs of fertility can also be monitored. The cervix can be felt on a regular basis. When a woman notices her cervix rising and getting softer and wetter, it may be another sign she is about to enter her fertile period. At ovulation, a woman's cervix will be at its highest and most open, and will gradually drop and harden once the fertile period is over. In addition to cervical changes, some women experience ovulation cramping, spotting or breast tenderness ,which can also help pinpoint the fertile period.
Benefits
Many birth control methods use synthetic hormones to manipulate the body into preventing pregnancy, but the fertility awareness birth control method does not require the use of any drugs or hormones at all. In addition, it does not interrupt foreplay or sexual intercourse as barrier methods of birth control tend to do.
Warning
The fertility awareness birth control method is most effective for women who have very regular menstrual cycles. Women who have irregular cycles may want to consider other birth control options. Although the failure rate for perfect use is around 10 percent, according to the American Pregnancy Association, typical failure rates are closer to 25 percent.
