Natural Family Planning MethodsThere are several different types of natural family planning methods. We'll review the main types - how they work, and how effective they are. We'll cover the different methods in order of advancement and effectiveness. We'll start with the earliest and simplest NFP methods...
The Old Rhythm MethodI think it's important to start off with one of the most widely known natural family planning methods - the rhythm method. Why start with the rhythm method? Too many people think that modern NFP is the same as the rhythm method. They are not the same - they are very different! I don't advocate using the rhythm method - but I want you to understand how it worked so you can understand how modern natural family planning is different. If you understand the rhythm method AND modern natural family planning - you'll be able to explain the difference when people ask questions. So, here are the basics on the rhythm method.... The old rhythm method was invented in the 1930s. It was sometimes known as the calendar method. It seems strange to think, but we didn't really understand how female fertility works until fairly recently. In the 1930s, scientists first learned that a woman had a fertile time and infertile time during her cycle. This was big news! Based on their research, scientists learned that a woman is only fertile in the middle of her cycle, around the time of ovulation. At the beginning, and at the end of her cycle, a woman is infertile. With this new information, they came up with a natural family planning method that women could use to estimate the days that they were fertile. Women would keep track of how long their cycles were. A cycle starts on the first day of your period, and ends on the last day before your next period. In order to estimate when she would be fertile, a woman needed two numbers: the length of her shortest and her longest cycle. Let's say for example, that her shortest cycle was 26 days and her longest cycle was 30 days. To find out when the fertile time in her cycle would start - she would take her shortest cycle and subtract 19 days. This would tell her when her fertile time would start. For our example... Shortest Cycle (26 days) - 19 days = Fertile time starts on Day 7 To find the estimated end of her fertile time, she would take her longest cycle and subtract 10 days. Longest Cycle (30 days) - 10 days - Fertile time ends on Day 20. So for our example...
Phase 1 - infertile - Days 1 to 6 When a woman had a shorter cycle or a longer cycle, she would update her calculations. The biggest problem with this method is that it is all based on averages, not your real signs of ovulation. But remember, this was invented back in the 1930's, before they really understood a woman's fertility signs. While the rhythm method was based on estimates - it was shown to be 91% effective. Even though this is the least effective type of natural family planning methods - 91% is still much higher than most people would expect. By comparison - that is comparable to the actual effectiveness rate of the birth control pill. Think about that - the chemical birth control pill is as effective as the old rhythm method. The next advancement in understanding a woman's fertility cycle involved basal body temperature...
Basal Body Temperature MethodAfter ovulation, a woman's basal, or waking, body temperature rises approximately one half of one degree. This discovery gave way to one of the first natural family planning methods that was based on an actual sign of ovulation - not just an average. The first, and most conservative basal body temperature methods would have a couple abstain until the third or fourth day of the temperature rise. After that day and until the beginning of her period, a woman was considered to be infertile. Some couples would use a combination of the rhythm method and the basal body temperature method. They would use rhythm method to estimate the beginning of the fertile time, and the basal temperature method to determine the end of the fertile time.
After basal body temperature - the next discovery in female fertility was cervical mucus... Billings Ovulation MethodIn the 1950s, researchers found that cervical mucus played an important role in female fertility. They discovered that women were fertile when they observed cervical mucus, and they were infertile at times of less or no mucus at all. The Billings Ovulation Method was first developed in the 1950s and is still widely and effectively used around the world. Dr. John & Dr. Evelyn Billings developed the Ovulation Method, which is today commonly called the Billings Ovulation Method. The Drs. Billings promote the Ovulation Method as the easiest of the natural family planning methods to learn because it only involves one fertility sign; cervical mucus. Women who use the ovulation method rely primarily on mucus observations. Women learn how to observe and keep a record of their cervical mucus. Women learn to tell the difference between more fertile mucus, and less fertile mucus. If they are postponing pregnancy, women will abstain on any days with more fertile mucus.
Standard Days Method - Cycle BeadsOf all the natural family planning methods listed, this is the most recently developed. However, I would argue that it is not the most advanced. The Standard Days Method or SDM was developed based on research done at Georgetown University in 1999. While it is the most recent development, it relies on averages and not actual fertility signs. They found that women with cycles between 26 and 32 days long are most likely to be fertile on days 8 through 19. In order to use SDM, you must have cycles between 26 and 32 days long. Any longer and shorter, and the method will not be nearly as effective. Women using the Standard Days Method simply abstain on days 8 through 19 if they are looking to postpone pregnancy. Cycle beads were created to be used with the SDM. They are a string of different colored beads to indicate when a woman is supposed to be fertile. Every day, the woman moves a little ring from one bead to the next to keep track of her cycle. People who support the Standard Days Method say that it is much easier than the rhythm method. With the Standard Days Method, women don't have to keep track of the length of their cycles or add or subtract. All they have to know is which day of their cycle they are on. While the Standard Days Method has been proven to be 95% effective - it is still not the most effective of the natural family planning methods.
Sympto-Thermal Method -
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