Natural Family Planning (NFP) offers a hormone-free approach to preventing pregnancy by understanding your body’s natural fertility cycles. It involves identifying fertile days each month and making informed decisions about intercourse during those times. Primarily, NFP encompasses two main methods: the fertility awareness method and the lactational amenorrhea method. This guide will explore these methods in detail, providing you with a comprehensive understanding of natural family planning.
Understanding Natural Family Planning Methods
NFP methods rely on observing and tracking natural signs of fertility. By understanding these signs, couples can identify the fertile window and make choices to avoid pregnancy.
Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)
The Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) involves tracking your menstrual cycle to predict ovulation and identify your fertile window. This method requires you to monitor several key indicators, including basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and menstrual cycle dates. During your fertile window, which typically lasts for about six days each cycle, you would abstain from intercourse or use barrier methods like condoms to prevent pregnancy.
When practiced consistently and correctly, FAM can be highly effective, with effectiveness rates ranging from 91% to 99%. However, typical use, which accounts for user error, brings the effectiveness down to around 76%. This means that about 24 out of 100 women using FAM may become pregnant within a year. Accurate tracking and consistent adherence to guidelines are crucial for the effectiveness of FAM.
Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM)
The Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) is a temporary method of contraception for breastfeeding mothers. LAM relies on the natural infertility that breastfeeding can induce in the postpartum period. For LAM to be effective, specific criteria must be met: the baby must be under six months old, the mother must be exclusively or almost exclusively breastfeeding, and menstruation must not have returned.
When these conditions are met and LAM is practiced correctly, it can be over 99% effective in preventing pregnancy during the first six months postpartum. However, its effectiveness decreases if breastfeeding becomes less frequent, if supplemental feeding is introduced, or once menstruation resumes. Even with some deviations from perfect use, LAM remains about 98% effective, meaning approximately 2 out of 100 women may become pregnant within six months of giving birth while using LAM under typical conditions.
Learning and Using Natural Family Planning
To use NFP effectively, proper education and guidance are essential. Seeking advice from healthcare professionals or certified instructors is highly recommended.
How to Learn NFP
Learning NFP effectively often involves consulting experts such as fertility awareness educators, midwives, or healthcare providers specializing in reproductive health. These professionals can provide personalized instruction and support to help you understand and correctly apply NFP methods.
Resources for learning NFP include sexual health clinics, family planning centers, and some general practitioner (GP) surgeries. Additionally, organizations like Fertility UK offer directories of certified fertility awareness practitioners. For breastfeeding mothers considering LAM, midwives and lactation consultants can provide guidance and support. National sexual health helplines can also offer information and direct you to local resources.
Using FAM in Practice
Implementing FAM requires daily tracking of fertility signs. This includes:
- Basal Body Temperature (BBT): Taking your temperature every morning before getting out of bed. A slight rise in BBT indicates ovulation.
- Cervical Mucus: Observing changes in cervical mucus throughout your cycle. Fertile mucus is typically clear, slippery, and stretchy, similar to egg whites.
- Menstrual Cycle Tracking: Charting your periods to understand the length and patterns of your cycle.
By recording these indicators daily, you can learn to identify your fertile window. During these fertile days, you will need to avoid unprotected intercourse. It typically takes a few menstrual cycles to become proficient in using FAM. During the learning phase, it is advisable to use additional contraception or abstain from intercourse during potentially fertile times. While apps and devices are available to assist with fertility tracking, it’s important to note that the NHS does not officially recommend any specific app or device for NFP.
Using LAM in Practice
For LAM to be effective, you need to breastfeed your baby frequently and consistently. This means:
- Breastfeeding at least every four hours during the day.
- Breastfeeding at least every six hours at night.
- Starting LAM immediately after birth.
LAM is only effective for the first six months after delivery and is contingent on exclusive or near-exclusive breastfeeding and the absence of menstruation. Introducing formula or solid foods, or the return of your period, will reduce LAM’s effectiveness. Expressing breast milk may also impact effectiveness, although research in this area is limited.
Is Natural Family Planning Right for You?
NFP is not universally suitable and may be more appropriate for some individuals and couples than others.
NFP can be a helpful option for those who cannot use hormonal contraception due to health conditions or personal preferences. It can also appeal to those who prefer a more natural approach to family planning and want to increase their awareness of their bodies.
However, NFP may not be suitable if:
- You have irregular periods (making FAM challenging).
- You are unable to breastfeed (eliminating LAM as an option).
- You have a health condition that necessitates strict pregnancy avoidance.
- You are taking medications that could affect your baby through breastfeeding or that require consistent contraception (consult a healthcare provider).
If you are considering NFP, it’s crucial to discuss your individual circumstances with a doctor, nurse, or midwife to determine if it is a safe and effective choice for you. Do not discontinue any prescribed medication without consulting your doctor first.
Conclusion
Natural family planning offers a method of contraception that aligns with natural bodily processes. Both the fertility awareness method and the lactational amenorrhea method can be effective when used correctly and consistently. However, NFP requires commitment, education, and careful tracking. Understanding your own body and seeking guidance from healthcare professionals are key to successfully using natural family planning for pregnancy prevention. Always remember that natural family planning methods do not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs); for STI protection, condoms should be used.
