Does Natural Family Planning Work?
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It has been joked that Natural Family Planning(NFP) is the most expensive method of birth control as it costs around $250,000 to implement. Why $250,000? $250,000 is the amount of money that the US Government statisticians have calculated as the cost to raise a child until the age of 17.
To be truthful, all methods of birth control, save abstinence, have a failure rate. The failure rate is the number of women using the method that became pregnant anyway. Your doctor is the best source of information regarding birth control, failure rates, and other family planning concerns you may have.
When I was in my early 20’s, I tried the pill. I didn’t like it and actually had some severe complications that required surgery. I tried other methods and had some allergic reactions. Because of my experiences, I began my quest for “natural” family planning. Armed with a book from the local library, I started the grand experiment…and became pregnant…several times.
Why do I share my embarrassing failures with blog readers? I truly have a great desire to warn others of my mistakes and experiences to help them make informed decisions. Make no mistake, I am thrilled with my children, and I wouldn’t change anything, but if I decided to use NFP now, I’d make sure that I did a little more research!
One thing I discovered was that NFP is actually a pretty complex method requiring a significant commitment of time and self control for both partners. Firstly, the couple must abstain from sexual intimacy during a woman’s fertile times. Secondly, there is a certain amount of work required to determine when you are fertile which means monitoring your temperature and watching for other signs of fertility. Some of these signs may not be so easy to interpret. Some of the tests may just not work with your lifestyle. For example, monitoring your temperature is an important part of NFP as your temperature is affected by your fertility level. Women are instructed to get a basal temperature first thing in the morning before getting out of bed as this is a true basal temperature. I found that it wasn’t always possible to take my temperature before getting out of bed in the morning—at least when you have other children that need to be tended to in the early morning hours. I also found the method to be complex to understand. For example, if I am running a fever, then what?
I have known couples who found that NFP worked for them. They felt that it brought them closer as a couple, and were willing to make the sacrifices needed to make the method work. All of the women, it should be noted, who had success with this method had very regular cycles. Most of the couples took classes on NFP, which also seemed to help the overall effectiveness of the method as well. Without exception, all of the couples using this method were in a committed relationship and honestly had no negative thoughts against pregnancy, nor did they have any significant health issues which would compromise their health or the health of their child if they became pregnant. In other words, if the method failed and the woman became pregnant, it would not have been a crisis.
Have you tried NFP? What have your experiences been? Would you recommend this method to other women?
Ruth says...
I suspect your mistake was in buying the book rather than taking a class; particularly if you became pregnant while following the rules as you were able (as opposed to becoming pregnant when choosing to ignore the rules). Unfortunately, most doctors are not familiar with NFP and since there isn’t any profit in it for the drug companies, they don’t send our detail reps to teach the doctors about it.
NFP can be used effectively by anyone, but it is easier for those with “textbook” cycles. If your isn’t, you are best off getting professional instruction. To find a teacher in your area, call your local Catholic church. While the classes will include a section on Catholic sexual morality, non-Catholics are welcome, and no one will pressure you to convert.
There is one system of NFP called the Creighton Method, which does not involve taking temps, which is highly standardized and studied, and has affiliated physicians. It can be used not only to regulate births but also to diagnose fertility and other health problems in women. Google NaPro Technology for more information.
Ruth says...
Just a comment about the $250,000 figure. I researched the components of that figure at some point and found that the reason it was so high is that they were charging the kids rent and utilities. In other words, if your house payment is $1,000/month and four people (incluing two kids) live at your house, then each kid is “costing” you $250/month for rent. However, in my experience, the size of people’s house payment has a lot more to do with the size of their income than the size of their family.
VaMomma says...
I agree Ruth. My cycles are/were wildly unpredictable. I’d recommend to anyone if they choose to use this method that they definitely take the classes.
I also agree that the 250k figure is not applicable for most families, but for the purpose of the article, I did use the USDA figure.
Thanks for your comments and for sharing the information about NFP.