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Natural Family Planning
By Shel Franco

Heather Franke, of Ann Arbor, Mich., wanted to find a better form of birth control, one that wouldn’t fill her body with chemicals or hormones and one that wouldn’t send her searching for contraptions in the middle of making love. Most of all, she wanted to find something that was natural. For many couples like the Frankes, pills and condoms are not the answer to controlling family size. Instead, they turn to an often-misunderstood method called Natural Family Planning (NFP).

The Use
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), there are two methods of Natural Family Planning. The first method is based on ovulation. A woman practicing this method of Natural Family Planning exams her cervical mucous every day in order to discover changes that are indicative of ovulation. When those changes occur, the couple knows to avoid intercourse.

The second method is called the symptothermal method and is arguably the more effective method. Here, a woman checks and records her temperature every morning, looking for the slight rise that occurs at ovulation. She also examines and notes any changes in cervical mucous.

Both methods are effective at preventing pregnancy. The AAFP places that effectiveness at as high as 98%. But it is important to stress that to achieve this level of pregnancy prevention, Natural Family Planning must be learned from an experienced instructor and must be done properly.

According to Susan Dantoni, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist, in Geneva, N.Y., "properly" means correctly figuring out the most fertile times and then avoiding intercourse during those days.

The Positive
Kathy McConnell, of Baltimore, Md., and her husband chose Natural Family Planning, in part because of their religious beliefs. Once they received instruction, McConnell, whose menstrual cycles were always irregular, enjoyed more benefits than simply pregnancy protection. "I can be absolutely clear when I will get my period. Counting from ovulation is exact once you figure out your own body's cycle," she says.

Not only was McConnell satisfying her religious beliefs, she was also keeping her body free from hormones and chemicals. Most of all, McConnell was learning valuable information about her body – information that actually helped her get pregnant.

"We conceived our first child using NFP. I knew that if we had sex on a certain night, the likely hood [of getting pregnant] was great," McConnell explains.

Another advantage is that Natural Family Planning opens the doors of communication. Birth control becomes the responsibility of both partners, since the results of charting must be discussed, and the couple must decide whether or not to engage in romantic encounters at that time.

Natural Family Planning is economical. Instruction is available through local churches and fees are usually negotiable if money is tight. The special thermometers can be purchased online for $10.00. After that, an inexpensive book of charts is all you need to follow the program.

The Negatives
Despite all the benefits, Natural Family Planning was not the answer Franke had hoped it would be. "I thought it was difficult," she says. "I thought it was gross."

For some women, the idea of looking at and touching cervical mucous is rather unnerving. Add to that the idea of taking your temperature each morning before rising and keeping a chart every day for the rest of your life, and you can see why dissatisfaction can occur.

The fact is that couples that aren’t 100% committed to learning and living the rules of Natural Family Planning put themselves at a greater risk for pregnancy. Keeping this in mind, many doctors are careful which patients they recommend Natural Family Planning to. "I only recommend it if an unintended pregnancy would not be a problem," Dr. Dantoni says.

The Bottom Line
Natural Family Planning can offer a welcomed alternative to the current, popular methods of birth control. If you’re interested in learning more about this method or in finding an instructor, calling local churches should yield a list of contact information. You can also read the book "The Art of Natural Family Planning" by John and Shelia Kippley or visit The Couple-to-Couple League on the web (http://www.ccli.org).

Want to See More? Read other installments in the Babies Today Birth Control Series!

About the Author: Shel Franco is an iParenting senior contributing writer living in Pennsylvania with her husband, Todd, their two sons and one pug dog.

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