Natural Family Planning Methods - Safe, Inexpensive and No Side ...

Family planning has been a necessity since time unknown. An unmarried or a married couple is cautious about unwanted pregnancies since they are not prepared for it all the time. There are innumerous methods available today that are both effective and foolproof. However, these methods that are developed by a lot of scientific research may prove to be impractical in cases where certain customs and rituals prohibit the use of it or it is the cost of these methods that are a matter of concern or lastly, the dreadful side effects for the women that may hinder their normal lifestyle. Even before these artificially fabricated methods were developed, man has been practicing natural methods of birth control for ages now. Natural family planning methods are not only safe but they are 100% side-effects-free and inexpensive as well.

To implement these methods onto your regular birth control measures you need proper education of the same as well as a lot of practice to get a hang of it. With limited knowledge and improper calculations there is no guarantee that it would not lead to pregnancy that is uncalled for. So let's have a look at all these natural family planning methods to gain more knowledge about them.

1. Standard Days Method:

This method is majorly based on a lot of scientific research undertaken on 7,500 different menstrual cycles. Understanding this method is simple. The first day of your periods is the Day 1 of your cycle. From Day1 to Day7 you are infertile so it is safe to have unprotected sex. From Day8 to Day19 you are at your most fertile phase. You must use alternative contraception or have no intercourse at all. Day20 to Day 32 is again safe to practice sex. This method is applicable to only those women whose menstrual cycle is between 26-32 days.

This method needs no calculations, record-keeping or physical exams like in other natural family planning methods. To assist you with this method a colored beaded chain is available in the market. A rubber ring on the beads helps you keep a track of your fertile and infertile days by regularly changing its position over the 32 beads each day.

2. The Ovulation method:

This is also referred to as the cervical mucus method. It is based on interpreting the appearance and feel of the cervical mucus secretions. At the peak of fertility these secretions are clear in texture, sticky and wet in consistency and also stretchy. It resembles the egg white of an uncooked egg. This helps you understand your fertile days.

3. Symptothermal method:

This method involves observing the overall bodily changes that occur on account of ovulation. You see changes in cervical mucus, a rise in the body temperature by 0.2- 0.4 degree Celsius. a change in the position and feel of the opening of the cervix and also other occurrences of bloating, pain in the area of the ovaries, low backache and breast tenderness.

4. Rhythm method:

This method is a little unreliable because it depends on calculations of certain days of a woman's cycle which have high chances of variations. It is a method based on three line of thought. Firstly, a woman ovulates 14 days before the onset of menstruation, plus or minus 2 days. Secondly, sperm can survive inside a woman's body for 3 days. Thirdly, an egg can only be fertilized within 24 hours of its release from the ovaries. Based on these assumptions calculations are done. It is not recommended for women with irregular menstrual cycles.

The author of this article has great knowledge on various aspects of the scoiety. He has developed an application called " Safe Period Calculator " for natural birth control as well. He also writes on green planet initiatives and higher education scholarships which are very much useful for this society.

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Natural Family Planning Methods - EzineArticles Submission ...

Natural Family Planning methods (NFP) are variations of the rhythm method. This covers techniques used to determine a woman's fertile and infertile periods within her menstrual cycles.

This is done by knowing when ovulation (the release of an egg from one of the woman's ovaries each month) takes place and abstaining from intercourse during a woman's fertile days. Fertility is known by checking the calendar and observing certain bodily signs like fluctuations in body temperature or changes in the vaginal mucus.

"Each of the approaches in natural family planning involves a conscientious awareness of when you can become pregnant, which is but a brief span approximately in the middle of each menstrual cycle - from about 72 hours before ovulation to about 24 hours after ovulation. The key is to determine when these days are and then to avoid having intercourse during that time," said Dr. David E. Larson, editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book."

"All told, a couple needs to abstain from intercourse seven to 10 days a month in order to have the greatest chance of preventing pregnancy," added the editors of Consumer Guide's "Family Health & Medical Guide."

NFP is the only birth control method approved by the Catholic Church but millions of people throughout the world rely on it either because of religious convictions, poverty (which prevents them from buying other effective contraceptives) or ignorance of other contraceptive methods.

There are four types of NFP methods: the temperature method, the calendar method, the mucus inspection method and the muco-thermal method. Each of these techniques has a different way of determining the time of ovulation.

How good are these methods? NFP has a success rate of 80 to 99 percent depending on the kind of technique you use. In general, the more restrictive the method, the greater the chances of avoiding pregnancy.

"This may surprise you: if followed faithfully, some types of 'natural' birth control can prevent pregnancy better than the diaphragm or condom. But there's a big hitch: the most effective versions of this method are so restrictive that it's all too easy to slip up," according to Deborah Franklin in Health magazine.

In the temperature method, ovulation is determined by taking the woman's temperature daily first thing in the morning after waking. This should be done preferably at the same time each day using a sensitive "basal" thermometer. It's also advisable to take the temperature at the same spot - either in the mouth or armpits. A slight rise in body temperature usually indicates ovulation. Sex should be avoided for at least two days after the temperature increase.

"Near the middle of the menstrual cycle, the temperature may drop slightly (indicating that ovulation is about to occur) and then rise rapidly and continue to climb for the next three days. The temperature will not return to preovulation levels until the beginning of the menstrual period. The 'safe' days to have sexual intercourse are from four days after the sudden rise in temperature until three or four days after the end of the period. It is important to become familiar with the menstrual cycle by recording temperature levels for several months before relying on this method of birth control," said the editors of Consumer Guide's "Family Health & Medical Guide."

The calendar method works by determining the probable day of ovulation with the help of a doctor. To do this, a woman must keep a record of her menstrual cycle for a year or more. From this record, the doctor can pinpoint "safe" and "unsafe" days.
"Subtract 18 days from the number of days in the shortest cycle (14 days from ovulation to your period and four days for the average life of sperm) and 10 days from the longest cycle (14 days from ovulation to your period, minus one day for the lifespan of an egg and minus three days for a margin of error) . The numbers you calculate are the first and last days of your cycle during which you can become pregnant," Larson explained. (Next: The Billings birth control method.)

Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine [http://www.HealthLinesNews.com]

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