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  • Title: Natural family planning: folly or fulfillment?
    Author: Shivanandan M.
    Journal: Marriage Fam Living; 1976 Oct; 58(10):2-5. PubMed ID: 12339514.
    Abstract:
    The experiences of natural family planning (NFP) counselors around the US indicate a growing interest in NFP methods in recent years, on the part of low parity non-Catholics as well as of higher parity Catholics. Fears of side effects of artificial methodss and interest in ecology and natural things are cited as the main reasons for the growing popularity of NFP. The calendar rhythm method has been largely replaced by the symptothermic methods, that combine observation of general physical symptoms such as mucus, abdominal pain, breast fullness, skin eruption, and mood changes with recording of basal body temperature (BBT), and the ovulation or Billings method, which records in great detail the presence and consistency of vaginal mucus during the menstural cycle. The Billings method identifies safe, relatively safe, and fertile days according to mucus signs alone. Both methods require keeping of chars. The BBT method has been rated as highly effective when intercourse is confined to the postovulatory phase, but it has the disadvantage of not being able to predict ovulation and of not being useful during menopause, after childbirth, and during nursing. Advocates of the ovulation method claim it can reliably predict ovulation at any time, but recognition of the mucus signs can be difficult and no intercourse is allowed during the menstrual period. Most NFP clinics in the US now offer a choice of methods. The majority of couples are able to assume responsibility for interpretation of their charts after a few months, but counseling is necessary at the beginning for success with the method. All NFP methods requre varied periods of abstinence during the fertile days of the cycle, a major hurdle in acceptance of NFP. Success depends on motivation, and most failures are believed attributable to "taking a chance." Cooperation of both spouses is more essential in NFP than in other methods. Couples who persevere in NFP accept the period of abstinence as a challenge and find it a source of enrichment for their marriages.
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