Natural Family Planning
This is a method that uses the normal changes that occur in your body to determine your fertile period. Hence, it could be used as a method for avoiding or planning a pregnancy.
How could I use natural family planning to get or prevent pregnancy?
Family planning method will identify your fertile period or determine the timing of your ovulation. This is done by observation of the fertility indicators:
- Basal body temperature
- Changes in the cervix and the cervical secretions.
- Calculating your menstrual cycle
Please refer to our section on ‘Fertile period’ for further information.
Two other methods of natural family planning are known as:
What is the effectiveness rate of natural family planning as a method of contraception?
This will depend on your age, how often you have sex and whether you are using the method correctly. Overall, it is 80 – 90% effective. However, if you are trained properly on how to use this method, it could be up to 99% effective.
Who could use this method?
Anyone could use this method especially if they have been trained appropriately.
What are the advantages of this method?
- If teaches you to be aware of your normal fertility period.
- It is cheap
- It does not use any medication. Hence, does not have any side effects.
- It is perhaps more acceptable to certain religion or faith.
What are the disadvantages of this method?
- You have to keep daily records of the physiological changes that occur in your body
- It may take you several months to learn how to recognize the fertility indicator.
- Condition like illness, travel, stress and medication may affect your fertility indicators.
- It does not protect you against sexually transmitted disease.
- You and your partner have to be discipline as you have to avoid sex during certain times of the month
Could I use breast-feeding as a natural method of contraception?
Yes, this method of contraception is known as Lactation Amenorrhoea method (LAM). However, you need to be aware that this method is only effective if:
- You are fully breast feeding. Your baby does not take any other milk except breast milk.
- You are less than 6 months post delivery.
- You have no menses.
If the above requirement is met than this method is about 98% effective as a contraception method.
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