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NFP & FAM – Are They REAL Methods Part I How many women, or couples, can say “My birth control method is 97% effective, has no side effects, and I know within a day or two exactly when my period will start.” I can make such statements about my birth control method, which has yet to fail me in almost five years of use. Am I just “lucky” or could my method work for you as well? Natural Family Planning and the Fertility Awareness Method are similar “natural” methods of birth control, and are highly effective when used correctly. Lets start by looking at my method of choice, Natural Family Planning. In the next article, we will learn more about the Fertility Awareness Method and how it differs from NFP. I actually “discovered” NFP when I was trying to conceive about five years ago. Age was a factor for my husband and I, so conceiving as quickly as possible was foremost on my mind. I always had a pretty good idea of when I ovulated because I can actually feel it happening 11 months out of 12. I joined a few discussion boards and all I heard about was this great book “Taking Charge Of Your Fertility”, TCOYF for short, written by Toni Weschler. This was a “must have book” and I am on my third copy of it, after loaning my first two copies to friends. Toni explains, in simple terms, everything you need to know to achieve pregnancy or to avoid it, in her book. This method works! I conceived within four months of trying, but sadly suffered a miscarriage just days after having the pregnancy confirmed.
After discussing the possibility of future pregnancies with my husband, we decided that we would be happy with our son, who is now 10 years old. But what method of birth control could we use that would not cause side effects, have possible health risks, or need to be remembered? Why not use the same method that we used to get pregnant in the first place? I had everything I needed, the book TCOYF, a basal thermometer, and my charts, a total investment of about $30 at the time. The only thing that would need to be replenished would be the charts (copies are only about 15 cents each, so for a year of charts that is only $1.80) and possibly the thermometer if it broke (I used a glass one for a while, and later bought a digital one for only $9.00). What an inexpensive method, but would it work to prevent a pregnancy as well as it had to achieve one? The definitive answer is YES! In almost five years of use, we have only conceived when we “wanted to”. I know exactly when to expect my period because I know exactly how many days there are between the day I ovulate and the day my period starts. I know when my body is getting ready to ovulate because my cervical fluid changes and my cervix changes as well. I know when I have ovulated because my cervical fluid changes again, and my basal body temperature increases. By charting the natural fertility signs that my body shows me each month, I can safely and effectively avoid pregnancy. Let me tell you what my “routine” is and you can see just how easy NFP can be. In the morning, before doing anything at all, I take my temperature with a Basal Body Thermometer. A digital thermometer only takes a couple of minutes, and a glass thermometer takes about five to six minutes, to get a temperature reading. Once I have taken my temperature, I can proceed with my regular morning routine, which is usually a trip to the bathroom. After emptying my bladder, I check for cervical fluid on the toilet paper, and make a mental note if I find any and what it looks like. Starting on about day 8 of my cycle I will start checking my cervix and checking my cervical fluid internally. I only check my cervical position once a day, but I do check my cervical fluid throughout the day, especially after about day 7 of my cycle, as I have ovulated as early as day 10.
Once I am done with my first morning checking, I will record my temperature on my chart. I will also make any notes on my chart if I took my temperature at a different than usually time, or if the bedroom was warm or cold, or if I had been ill, as all of these can affect the basal body temperature. If I have checked my cervical position, I will also note this on my chart. I will not record my cervical fluid until later that evening, unless the first check reveals fertile quality fluid. Total time spent daily “using” this method is about a total of 5 to 10 minutes, depending on which thermometer is used. When I do record my cervical fluid on my chart, I always record the most fertile quality that I found during the day and evening. Cervical fluid, for those women not on hormonal birth control methods, changes from watery during your period, to dry or non-existent, and continues to change and become more abundant, clearer and “wetter” as ovulation approaches. The most fertile cervical fluid resembles egg whites and is referred to as “Egg White Cervical Mucus” or EWCM. This provides the best environment for sperm and allows them to swim freely and live for the longest period of time. Obviously, if pregnancy is to be avoided, this would be the worst time to have unprotected sex. And that is the basic idea behind Natural Family Planning; you do not have sex if the woman is entering, or during her ‘fertile phase’. Once ovulation is confirmed by the increase in basal body temperature, and the temperature stays up .5 degrees for four days, the fertile phase has ended and ovulation has taken place. Sex after ovulation has been confirmed is safe. Although this is a fairly simple explanation and you could not start practicing NFP just from reading this article, it should give you enough of an idea to decide if it is a method that you would want to learn and if it would work for you, and your partner. The main thing to remember is that when you are first learning NFP, you cannot use a hormonal birth control method. You must rely on a barrier method for your birth control, but we will talk about this further in the next article about the Fertility Awareness Method.
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