Natural Family Planning and its Methods

You are probably wondering what natural family planning is. Natural family planning (NFP) is a form of pregnancy planning that does not involve medicine or devices. NFP helps people know when to have sexual intercourse and can be used to easily get pregnant. It involves keeping track of a woman’s bodily changes throughout her menstrual cycle and most people who choose NFP to do so for religious or personal reasons. Basically with NFP instead of using a pregnancy calculator, you will do the calculation by yourself timing your period and understanding better about the ovulation cycle.

Natural family planning is a form of birth control that doesn't involve pills or devices. As a result, you don't have side effects. With these methods, you track your fertility, which is when you are most likely to get pregnant.

Pregnancy can occur if sexual intercourse takes place right before or after ovulation. Ovulation is when a woman’s ovaries release an egg. It usually happens around the same time each month. The egg moves toward the uterus through the fallopian tubes. This is where conception takes place. An unfertilized egg may live for up to 12 hours. Your body will shed it during the menstrual period with blood and mucus which we call our period if it isn’t fertilized.

Usually, a woman releases an egg from her ovaries at about the same time each month. That’s called ovulation. The egg moves through the fallopian tubes toward the uterus. An unfertilized egg can live up to 24 hours. Most women are fertile for about 6 days each month -- 5 before ovulation and the day of ovulation. Natural family planning uses different methods to pinpoint those fertility days and is being practiced.

You can use natural family planning to control pregnancy in several ways:

Rhythm method-

Of the oldest ways of natural family planning, this is based simply on the calendar. A woman's normal menstrual cycle lasts between 28 and 32 days. Ovulation usually happens around day 14 in your menstrual cycle. So you can try procreating on days 8 through 19 since that’s when you’re most fertile.

Cervical mucus or ovulation method-

You track the mucus your cervix makes. When you're ovulating, your mucus will be clear, stretchy, and wet, like raw egg whites. You write down what your mucus is like each day so you know when you're ovulating. During every menstrual cycle, the consistency of the cervical mucus discharge keeps changing. The mucus is easily recognizable on the wettest day. It looks clear, slippery, stretchy, and resembles the egg whites. Without this ‘egg white’, it is difficult to conceive. Ovulation takes place within 1-2 days of this peak day of clear, stretchy mucus. Keep a tab on your vaginal discharge every day and you will get a hang of how things work and eventually figure out your ovulation cycle.

Basal body temperature (BBT) method –

Temperature can rise between 0.5 and 1 degree when you ovulate and stay there until your next period. With this method, you take your temperature before you get out of bed each morning before you have anything to eat or drink as it would cause changes on its own. BBT by itself isn't a good way to prevent pregnancy because charting your temperature tells you when ovulation has already happened. The basal body temperature technique helps you to identify if there is a change in your body temperature. Your body temperature can say a lot about your health. Studying the pattern for 3 months can help you to predict your ovulation window. Generally, there is a change in the temperature after ovulation and it tends to remain the same until the next period.

Symptothermal method-

For this method, you combine several methods, usually BBT and cervical mucus. Using more than one method can give you a better idea of what's going on in your body. The popularly known method is also called the calendar method by some. It is nothing but keeping a track on your menstrual cycle to anticipate your fertile sign. Nowadays there are a lot of mobile applications as well to help you keep track of your menstrual cycle. These applications also help you to predict your fertile window based on the duration of your menstrual cycle. When all these 3 methods are combined effectively you are more likely to conceive a baby.

Fertile Window calculator-

Fertile window is your best time to conceive. With the help of a fertile window calculator, you can increase your chances of conceiving. Your fertile window refers to the period in your female fertility cycle during which a woman can conceive a baby. This includes the day she ovulates and the five days after ovulation. That is the best time to have intercourse if you're trying to conceive.

How effective are these NFP methods?

Natural family planning isn't as effective as other methods of birth control. According to the CDC, the failure rate is 24%. That means about 1 in 4 women who use natural family planning will get pregnant. You need to be cautious, attentive and have plenty of self-control to practice natural family planning. You have to follow instructions completely to be successful.

What are the benefits?

Natural family planning is free. There are also no side effects. You can stop anytime and it won't have an impact on your body. It also meets most religious guidelines. Many apps can help you track your fertility, which can make things easier. Once you've learned a method, you don't have to keep going to a doctor for refills or follow-up appointments.

Natural family planning requires you to keep track of your body and stick to a schedule. It may not be for you if you have irregular periods or if you are breastfeeding. Which is when you can opt for a pregnancy test kit online same day delivery and what’s better than Pregakem’s pregnancy detection kit in this case. It has been rated as the top India pregnancy test kit. Get your hands on it today and get the khush khabri you want to hear.

Talk to your doctor or gynecologist if you have questions about these methods or to see if natural family planning might work for you.