Natural Family Planning

[LivingtheTruth]

Hello,

Can anyone answer the question if being on antibiotics messes up your NFP charting. I heard that it does and I haven’t had a problem with my chart but a friend was asking.

 

[gettingthere]

Being on antibiotics has never affected my charts, but I do make note of the fact that I am sick, as sometimes it can cause an elevated temperature.

I do know that antibiotics make hormonal birth control ineffective. I don’t think it affects NFP (though, being sick does).

 

[1ke]

I learned Creighton, and there is no mention of anti-biotics impacting charting. I can’t imagine why it would.

 

[Peach0218]

Medications such as antihistamines/decongestants can affect the mucus sign, and I believe other medications can have an effect on the cycle. I know the course manual provided by CCL called The Art of Natural Family Planning has a whole chapter on this. You could contact them for information or find a teaching couple near you.

 

[kind_bean]

Yes, some prescription antibiotics can dry up your mucus. Other medications that can affect your mucus: antihistamines, guaifenesin (which is the active ingredient in Robitussin), some antidepressants, some herbal medicines (such as golden seal and horseradish), high doses of the acidic form of vitamin C ascorbic acid, and, Clomid, a fertility drug.

Of course, not everyone is affected the same by it (or at all), so if you have to take any of these pay extra attention to see if they seem to make any changes in your mucus, and abstain until you are sure that they don’t make any changes (or if you just want to be really careful, abstain while you have to take them).

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

**Ditto to what everyone else has said.

That is one of the benefits of NFP over hormonal birth control…since you are always observing your signs you always know what’s going on. With the example of antibiotics, so many women still don’t know that they can make the pill ineffective. So where an NPF using woman can abstain when she isn’t sure what is going on the pill using one doesn’t even know there could be an issue.**