Deciding if and when to have a baby is a big decision. If you decide now isn’t the right time, or you never want to have children, there are a number of different birth control options ranging from hormonal to non-hormonal, short-acting to long-acting, and reversible to permanent
The vast majority of birth control options have the potential for some side effects.
Whether it’s religious preference, because hormones are not well-tolerated, or because there are still side effects of non-hormonal birth control (like the potential for excessive bleeding with the copper IUD), some women opt for options that put nothing in the body. And many people report that condoms interrupt the moment of intimacy, so some of these couples
Whether it’s religious preference, because hormones are not well-tolerated, or because there are still side effects of non-hormonal birth control (like the potential for excessive bleeding with the copper IUD), some women opt for options that put nothing in the body. And many people report that condoms interrupt the moment of intimacy, so some of these couples
decide to try natural family planning. What exactly is natural family planning, and what happens if you decide to try it? I spoke to several women who have used it to find out.
What is natural family planning?
Natural family planning is not reserved only for birth control. In fact, some couples use it to help them get pregnant. Still, the principles of natural family planning suggest that there are only certain times during a woman’s cycle during which pregnancy is possible, and if intercourse happens during this time, pregnancy is more likely. As a form of birth control, the idea is to avoid intercourse during this window.
Natural family planning methods are also referred to as fertility awareness methods. By knowing your most fertile window, you can either avoid pregnancy or plan for it. According to the American Pregnancy Association, sperm can survive in the uterus or fallopian tubes for up to five to seven days, but the released egg survives for at most 24 hours, and a woman is most fertile in the week before ovulation until a day after ovulation has occurred.
You’ll get to know your body very well
The crux of natural family planning requires you to get to know your body’s biological markers for fertility. This involves tracking the changes to your body throughout the month in very concrete and specific ways. For Liz Granger, this approach has not only been effective, but is a feminist approach to birth control. “Natural family planning is feminist because it connects you more deeply with the normal, predictable rhythms of your body,” she told me. “It helps you see your fluids not as gross or foreign, but as evidence for your cycle and health.”
Granger added that natural family planning allowed her to forego pharmaceuticals that she said are often marketed to say that periods are inconvenient and embarrassing. “Natural family planning helps you build confidence and trust in your physical body,” she said. “It’s like a private conversation with yourself. When I’ve charted journal-style in addition to temps, I’ve learned empathy for my body; instead of worrying why my period was delayed, I could look back at travel or stress and see how clearly those changes affected the machine of my body.”
‘Taking Charge of Your Fertility’
Several women I spoke with, including Granger, talked about the same book: Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. Laura Trethaway, who has used natural family planning for both birth control and to help her get pregnant, told me the book was a “huge eye opener” for her. “I learned things about my body that had been a mystery my entire adult life,” she said, adding that prior to reading the book she had no clue what was going on with her cervical mucus. “I would wonder if I had an infection or I wouldn’t notice it at all,” she said. “It wasn’t until I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility that I realized that it was a natural process that followed a set pattern.”
Cervical mucus
Speaking of cervical mucus, what’s the deal with that and how can tracking it help you understand ovulation patterns? Throughout your cycle, the consistency of cervical mucus, which is the fluid secreted by your cervix, changes. These changes are impacted by hormone levels that also change throughout your cycle. As you get closer to ovulation, increases in estrogen lead to what the American Pregnancy Association calls “fertile-quality” mucus, described as clear and stretchy with the consistency of egg whites. The texture and pH of the cervical mucus during this time protects sperm on its journey to fertilize the egg. This means if you’re trying to avoid pregnancy, this is probably not the time to have s*x. On the other hand, if you want a baby, this might be your most fertile window.
Basal body temperature
Noticing changes in your cervical mucus patterns throughout the month is just one way to track ovulation. Tracking your body temperature is another way to know where you’re at in your cycle, but it isn’t done using just any old thermometer any time of the day. To get a good sense of your body’s basal temperature patterns, BabyCenter suggests tracking every day for a few months before relying on it to monitor ovulation.
Generally speaking, before ovulation your basal body temperature may range from about 97.2 to 97.7 degrees, but the day after you ovulate, you will see an increase of just 0.4 to 1.0 degree, which will last until your next period. This very small change in body temperature is why it’s so important to get a basal thermometer, which is more sensitive than a standard thermometer you might buy when you’re sick. It’s also important to measure your temperature at the same time of day, first thing in the morning before you stand up and start moving around.
For Trethaway, this was the most annoying part of natural family planning. “You have to take your temperature before you stand up, every day at the same time, and that might work for some people, but I just don’t work on a morning schedule like that,” she said.
Home ovulation tests
Research has shown that home ovulation tests are effective at detecting ovulation during peak fertility. In fact, some studies suggest that measuring urinary LH levels (like in home ovulation tests) is a better predictor of ovulation than other natural family planning methods. These studies have found that while changes in cervical mucus and basal body temperature correlate with ovulation, they often overestimate the length of the fertile window.
Although home ovulation tests may be more accurate than tracking basal body temperature and mucus, they’re also more expensive (in that it costs nothing to track your cervical mucus and a basal thermometer just requires a single startup cost). Still, depending on your goals, combining methods may be most effective.
source: Thelist
What is natural family planning?
Natural family planning is not reserved only for birth control. In fact, some couples use it to help them get pregnant. Still, the principles of natural family planning suggest that there are only certain times during a woman’s cycle during which pregnancy is possible, and if intercourse happens during this time, pregnancy is more likely. As a form of birth control, the idea is to avoid intercourse during this window.
Natural family planning methods are also referred to as fertility awareness methods. By knowing your most fertile window, you can either avoid pregnancy or plan for it. According to the American Pregnancy Association, sperm can survive in the uterus or fallopian tubes for up to five to seven days, but the released egg survives for at most 24 hours, and a woman is most fertile in the week before ovulation until a day after ovulation has occurred.
You’ll get to know your body very well
The crux of natural family planning requires you to get to know your body’s biological markers for fertility. This involves tracking the changes to your body throughout the month in very concrete and specific ways. For Liz Granger, this approach has not only been effective, but is a feminist approach to birth control. “Natural family planning is feminist because it connects you more deeply with the normal, predictable rhythms of your body,” she told me. “It helps you see your fluids not as gross or foreign, but as evidence for your cycle and health.”
Granger added that natural family planning allowed her to forego pharmaceuticals that she said are often marketed to say that periods are inconvenient and embarrassing. “Natural family planning helps you build confidence and trust in your physical body,” she said. “It’s like a private conversation with yourself. When I’ve charted journal-style in addition to temps, I’ve learned empathy for my body; instead of worrying why my period was delayed, I could look back at travel or stress and see how clearly those changes affected the machine of my body.”
‘Taking Charge of Your Fertility’
Several women I spoke with, including Granger, talked about the same book: Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. Laura Trethaway, who has used natural family planning for both birth control and to help her get pregnant, told me the book was a “huge eye opener” for her. “I learned things about my body that had been a mystery my entire adult life,” she said, adding that prior to reading the book she had no clue what was going on with her cervical mucus. “I would wonder if I had an infection or I wouldn’t notice it at all,” she said. “It wasn’t until I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility that I realized that it was a natural process that followed a set pattern.”
Cervical mucus
Speaking of cervical mucus, what’s the deal with that and how can tracking it help you understand ovulation patterns? Throughout your cycle, the consistency of cervical mucus, which is the fluid secreted by your cervix, changes. These changes are impacted by hormone levels that also change throughout your cycle. As you get closer to ovulation, increases in estrogen lead to what the American Pregnancy Association calls “fertile-quality” mucus, described as clear and stretchy with the consistency of egg whites. The texture and pH of the cervical mucus during this time protects sperm on its journey to fertilize the egg. This means if you’re trying to avoid pregnancy, this is probably not the time to have s*x. On the other hand, if you want a baby, this might be your most fertile window.
Basal body temperature
Noticing changes in your cervical mucus patterns throughout the month is just one way to track ovulation. Tracking your body temperature is another way to know where you’re at in your cycle, but it isn’t done using just any old thermometer any time of the day. To get a good sense of your body’s basal temperature patterns, BabyCenter suggests tracking every day for a few months before relying on it to monitor ovulation.
Generally speaking, before ovulation your basal body temperature may range from about 97.2 to 97.7 degrees, but the day after you ovulate, you will see an increase of just 0.4 to 1.0 degree, which will last until your next period. This very small change in body temperature is why it’s so important to get a basal thermometer, which is more sensitive than a standard thermometer you might buy when you’re sick. It’s also important to measure your temperature at the same time of day, first thing in the morning before you stand up and start moving around.
For Trethaway, this was the most annoying part of natural family planning. “You have to take your temperature before you stand up, every day at the same time, and that might work for some people, but I just don’t work on a morning schedule like that,” she said.
Home ovulation tests
Research has shown that home ovulation tests are effective at detecting ovulation during peak fertility. In fact, some studies suggest that measuring urinary LH levels (like in home ovulation tests) is a better predictor of ovulation than other natural family planning methods. These studies have found that while changes in cervical mucus and basal body temperature correlate with ovulation, they often overestimate the length of the fertile window.
Although home ovulation tests may be more accurate than tracking basal body temperature and mucus, they’re also more expensive (in that it costs nothing to track your cervical mucus and a basal thermometer just requires a single startup cost). Still, depending on your goals, combining methods may be most effective.
source: Thelist
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