Natural Family Planning

Many religions, especially Christianity, have problems with using contraception devices as a way to prevent pregnancy. This is because most religions believe that humanity should only have sex to procreate, not for recreation, so contraception devices should not be necessary. In reality of course, many couples were having sex for the fun of it and when the birth control pill was introduced in the 1960s, recreational sex even in the most religious was growing more common place. In order to deal with the fact that women were able to have sex without worrying about pregnancy, the Roman Catholic Church cracked down on the use of birth control and offered up the alternative of natural family planning as an alternative. Natural family planning is meant to be a way for women to avoid getting pregnant without taking any medication or using any devices.

Natural Family Planning is based around the fact that the menstrual cycle of women has periods of infertility in it when it’s much harder or nearly impossible for women to get pregnant. It is at these times where it safe for women to have unprotected sex, or so the theory goes, and thus there is no need for things like birth control pills or even condoms. There are three kinds of natural family planning methods: the Rhythm method which goes by the cycle of a woman’s body; the Billing’s method which relies on a woman’s sense of whether she is feeling fertile or infertile using things like body temperature and the kinds of fluids they’re letting out of their bodies; and ecological breastfeeding.

Rhythm Method

The rhythm method of natural family planning is based around the idea that women have predictable menstrual cycles. By following the rhythm of: menstruation, infertility, fertility and infertility, women using this method hope to either avoid getting pregnant or increase the chances of it. Although the rhythm method is no longer recognised as being a ‘natural family planning’ method, it’s one that’s commonly lumped in anyway so many women use it. The main problem with it is that it does not take into account the fact that menstrual cycles are easily affected and so it’s not the most effective method. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Billing’s Method

The Billing’s Method is the most commonly used one when it comes to natural family planning and the one that is usually recommended. It uses a few factors in a woman’s body to work: body temperature, the consistency of vaginal discharge, and sheer gut instinct on the part of the woman to determine whether she is fertile or infertile. Women who are in their ovulating period have a higher body temperature and fluids with the consistency of uncooked egg whites. Some women also get bloating, cramps, and tenderness. By avoiding sex during these periods, the chances of getting pregnant are much lower. When used properly, this method has an above 90% rate of effectiveness; not as high as birth control pills or condoms, but still very high. However, the method must be applied exactly, or it won’t work at all.

Ecological Breastfeeding

Ecological breastfeeding is based around the idea that when a woman is breastfeeding, she is largely infertile. This is because breastfeeding releases hormones that halt ovulation. By breastfeeding for 1-2 years, a woman can easily space out her pregnancies while giving her child the best start to life. Ecological breastfeeding is a highly effective form of birth control, but you have to breast feed often and with no supplementing; something that is very difficult for most women in this day and age.

Natural family planning is most heavily endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church, but it is also enjoyed by any woman who is mistrustful of the pill or condoms, or who would prefer to let the dice roll as they will. When used properly, methods are very effective, but it only takes one slip up for these methods to be rendered useless, so if you want to opt for natural family planning, make sure you know exactly what you’re doing first.