Natural family planning

This article is about the alternative medical means of contraception, for a general discussion of birth control in human society - see contraception, for surgical means of contraception - see Sterilization (surgical) and for methods using medications and medical devices - see Contraception (medical methods).

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Natural Family Planning is a method of periodic abstinence and sexual contact between the male and female couple who desire to plan the timing of the arrival of their offspring. It is often considered to be part of alternative or complementary medicine but has a firm basis in the health sciences. More sophisticated practices are based on the biological basis of human reproduction, and natural family planning may be aided by medical tests for ovulation and other tests and examinations derived from medicine and biological science.. By being able to estimate whether on not a woman is likely to be ovulating, the chances of conception can be increased or decreased depending on whether that time period is used for abstinence from, or engagement in, unprotected intercourse. Further, the fertility of men, in terms of sperm count, can be altered by their behavior and, within a restricted range, can be used to make conception more likely. In many traditional societies, family planning is often part of the social and religious fabric of everyday life, rather than a conscious strategy. For some couples in developed countries, natural family planning is a contraceptive choice that is made on moral, religious or personal grounds. In other societies, where breastfeeding is not only traditional but is the most economically viable way to nourish a child for the first years of life- a hiatus in childbearing is primarily a side-effect of providing breast milk, rather than the result of periodic sexual abstinence, because the hormonal mileau that favors lactation frequently prevents ovulation.

Billings method

"There are many types of NFP, including the Billings Method (the ovulation or mucous method), named for Australian doctors Jon and Evelyn Billings. This method charts the presence and description of cervical fluid. The mucous method describes three different cervical fluids during the menstrual cycle: (1) sticky, tacky, and dry occurring after menstruation, (2) creamy, milky, and smooth, which occurs right before the most fertile period, which is (3) slippery, egg white, stretchable, clear, and yellow /pink or red tinged. Women are taught to avoid intravaginal sexual activity when the cervical mucous reflects the most fertile time." However, these same findings are a rational basis to increase the chance of conception, by preferentially having intercourse at the time of maximal fertility.

Standard days method

Midwives who advocate natural family planning claim that "the Standard Days Method is appropriate for women with most menstrual cycles between 26 and 32 days long. Women using this method are taught to avoid unprotected intercourse on potentially fertile days 8 through 19 of their cycles to prevent pregnancy."(Germano E. Jennings V. New approaches to fertility awareness-based methods: incorporating the Standard Days and TwoDay Methods into practice. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health. 51(6):471-7, 2006 Nov-Dec. UI: 17081938)

Breast feeding and lactation

The hormonal balance that occurs when a woman is actively breastfeeding is one that tends to suppress ovulation. In this way, whether by happenstance or design, breastfeeding, alone, tends to be an efficacious manner of "timing" children.

Lactional amennorhea is cited as a major factor in birth control in many areas of the world, particularly poorer and more rural areas in subSaharan Africa (ref for rural- Audu BM. Yahya SJ. Bassi A. Knowledge, attitude and practice of natural family planning methods in a population with poor utilisation of modern contraceptives. Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 26(6):555-60, 2006 Aug. UI: 17000506)

Increased fertilty: practices that increase the chance of conception

Sometimes a child is very much wanted, but pregnancy does not come. Although there are medical ways to increase the chance of pregnancy, natural family planning can be used to tilt the odds towards conception. Interestingly, in some traditional cultures, customs that are based on religious edicts actually translate into effective methods for increasing the chance that a child will be born.

Orthodox Jewish law & fertility

In very orthodox Jewish households, the details of daily living are closely bound with religious laws. These traditions can be traced back several hundred, and in some cases, several thousand years- long before the biological facts concerning ovulatory cycles and sperm counts have been known. However, the sum total of the laws involving male masturbation and physical contact between husband and wife, together, act to favor a married couple sharing a bed just at the time of ovulation ,after a period of physical separation, in the most orthodox of Jewish households.

In this orthodox tradition, there is a strict prohibition of male masturbation; and not only is adultery prohibited, but the puposeful touching of a woman who is not one's wife is actively discouraged. In men, the sperm count- that is the number of sperm in each ejaculate, is directly correlated with fertility. This sperm count can be increased if several days pass without ejaculation, and can be decreased with very frequent ejaculation. For most men, the sperm count is high enough so that even with frequent ejaculation, impregnation is possible. However, an increase in the sperm count can be important for men who have relatively low numbers of high quality sperm in each ejaculate. Sex within marriage is encouraged in traditional Jewish life, but there are proscribed periods when husband and wife are not to have any physical contact, not to see each other undressed, and not to share the same bed. When there is menstrual bleeding ( actually, any vaginal bleeding) a woman is not to be touched by her husband, and she and he do not change this status until 7 days after the last blood is seen, at which point she will submerge in the ritual bath (the mikvah). Then, physical contact-including intimacy, is allowed. If the couple follow the rules of orthodoxy, this means that they will, monthly, find themselves together in the marital bed after 10 plus days of separation, when his sperm count is likely to be quite high, and her follicles are likely to be mature, with ovulation imminent.

External links

An explanation of the Jewish marital laws during a woman's month cycle, from Nishmat, the Jerusalem Center for Advanced Study for Women: http://www.jewishwomenshealth.org/article.php?article=12