One of the oldest methods women have used to control their fertility has been through natural family panning, or fertility awareness. Natural family planning is made up of a variety of techniques, including the rhythm method, ovulation method, Standard Days Method, and the sympto-thermal method, and is based on the fact that a woman is most fertile around the time of natural birth control, they can also be used to help a couple that is trying to conceive.
Benefits of Fertility Awareness
There are many advantages to using family planning techniques:
Women are able to have a better understanding of how their body works
Has no side-effects
Does not require the use of any drugs or chemicals
Relatively inexpensive
Requires the cooperation of both partners
Can be used to prevent a pregnancy as well as help a couple conceive
The Disadvantages of Natural Birth Control
While family planning methods are popular with some people, others find the techniques to be too time consuming. Unfortunately, if you do not practice this type of birth control properly and consistently, there is a good chance you will become pregnant. However, perfect practice of these techniques have been shown to be just as effective as other types of contraceptives. Additionally, because fertility awareness methods require the involvement of both partners, this type of natural birth control may not be suitable to those people who are not in a long term, committed relationship.
Another disadvantage of fertility awareness methods is that none of them offer any protection against sexually transmitted diseases. This is why it important to use this form of birth control only when you are in a long term, committed relationship. Otherwise, it will be necessary to use condoms when you have sex to prevent the transmission of STDs.
Before You Begin
If you and your partner would like to use fertility awareness as your form of contraception, it is a good idea to get some training in these techniques first. This will help to ensure that you are using these methods properly to avoid pregnancy. Contact your health care provider or pregnancy resource center who can offer you training or refer you to some one else that specializes in training couples. Here are some of the methods that you should consider:
