nfp question

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mediatrixx

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I have lots of questions about natural family planning. Mind if I ask one here? I am planning on checking out Taking Charge of Your Fertility (it’s supposed to be good, I hear) to learn more about this, but in the meantime, anybody want to give it a shot? If so, here is my #1 question:

Is NFP as reliable, more reliable, or less reliable than artificial birth control when it comes to preventing pregnancies?

I ask because I hear conflicting opinions on this. My mother, a nurse, says it’s not as reliable. Some Internet sources say it is just as trustworthy as any artificial birth control method. So you can see I’m confused. :confused:

Thanks for reading.
 
they claim a 98% success rate…when you adhere to the rules…that makes it about the same as ABC. If you want a more Catholic perspective on NFP I would recommend the couple to couple league book “the art of NFP”. I’ve read both…and I’m a nurse too! You might want to check around and see if you can register for a class in your area. They are horribly boring but worth it in the long run though. Good luck!
 
The claims that ABC actually work a certain percentage (say 97%) is made on the assumption that of all those people in the study could have actually conceived during intercourse. This also does not take into account the amount of conceptions that happened but were aborted from the articial hormones destroying the environment of the womb.

NFP is effective in avoiding pregnancy when needed, but it also changes a couples value of children…they value their marriage more, and their communication is way better.
 
Well, as far as effectiveness goes, with perfect use the effectiveness is way up there at about 98%. Obviously there is a lot of room for human error with NFP as you must interpret your signs/charting on your own or along with your spouse. I consider myself well-educated on my method of NFP, and yet I have mis-interpreted a chart or two along the way.

That said, there’s plenty of room for human error over on the ABC side as well. A woman on the pill may forget to take her pill, or during a course of antibiotics she may be not be aware that the medication she is on can decrease the effectiveness of the ABC pill. A condom may break or be put on ineffectively.

Then of course you have the Depo-Provera shot which is like 99.7% effective, BUT if you check out the side effects of that one it’s a pretty scary picture. It can cause loss of bone density, it can take months for your period to come back after ceasing use, it can cause depression and weight gain, etc., etc. I consider the effects of this form of ABC to be dicey at best and inhumane at the worst.

The keys to NFP effectiveness for postponing pregnancy are knowlege and commitment. With those two ingredients, NFP can be pretty close to perfect (effectiveness-wise).

Kittery
 
just heard a presentation from a PP rep, no less, speaking at a hearing in our town on giving them funds, to the effect that HALF of the abortions in the facility they support are sought by married or cohabiting women in a “stable relationship” whose ABC has failed. The rest of her story was how unreliable ABC is unless women and girls are properly educated in how to use it, so that is how she justifies PP’s existence. so even the pro-ABC side admits it is not as effective as the published rates indicate.

using their logic, key to NFP success is also education and commitment, and you can’t beat Couple to Couple league for giving you what you need to succeed.
 
Another thing you may take into consideration is the fact that some people and studies include the old “rhythm method” in their NFP opinions and stats. This method is just based on averages (instead of teaching a woman to read the signs her body gives about her individual fertility) and is not supported nor taught as a reliable NFP method nowadays, yet some people include it as if it was.
 
Percentages of the effectiveness of NFP are also skewed by women who got pregnant using no method at all. So when they take the survey the NFP choice looks something like this “Natural Method or none at all.” So the NFP method is made to look less effective.
 
NFP DOES demand a lot more than just keeping a pack of condoms in the bedtable or taking a pill once a day.

You must be careful to check and chart your symptoms EVERY day. You must avoid use of medicines that would alter your symptoms (esp mucus supressive meds like Sudafed). You must have the willpower to follow the rules when you REALLY want to just go for it.

The reality of the above things are much of WHY NFP is moral in the first place! It inherently reminds you monthly that sex is linked to fertility and asks you to re-evaluate whether you have a serious reason to avoid pregnancy or a frivolous one.

IMO, much of the reason that NFP folk have more kids than ABC folks is that the NFPers WILLINGLY abandon the rules more often because they have done that re-evaluation and realized that another child would be a blessing, not a burden. I have little doubt that I’d only still have 2 kids if we used ABC. But being forced to abstain for those extra days each month made us reflect on it: PRESTO 3 kids - so far. Not because NFP failed, but because it worked as it is supposed to! (i.e. not a oops kid, but a ‘what the heck kid’)
 
mediatrixx said:
Is NFP as reliable, more reliable, or less reliable than artificial birth control when it comes to preventing pregnancies?
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If you use it properly it is more reliable. Also, it can be used to help you GET pregnant when you are ready to try. It is true family planning because it works for both avoiding and achieving pregnancy.
mediatrixx said:
I ask because I hear conflicting opinions on this. My mother, a nurse, says it’s not as reliable.
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Well, trying to be respectful of your mother the nurse-- ask her which method it is she is referring to? Which method is “not as reliable” and “why?”

She won’t be able to answer you question because 999 out of 1000 nurses has never been trained in NFP. They don’t study it in their medical training.

Unless she has specifically taken training in the Sympto Thermal, Creighton, or Billings model she is speaking from ignorance. And, if she HAD been trained in any of these models she would not take the position that they are unreliable-- because that is not true.
mediatrixx said:
Some Internet sources say it is just as trustworthy as any artificial birth control method. So you can see I’m confused. :confused:
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Take a class for yourself and observe your own signs of fertility. Then you will know it is very reliable.
 
Probably 90 to 95% of the people can learn the method through the free, short, easy-to-understand “How-To” NFP manual at www.nfpandmore.org. The manual includes all the signs of fertility awareness plus the Seven Standards of eco-breastfeeding for spacing babies. Sheila
 
skippley said:
Probably 90 to 95% of the people can learn the method through the free, short, easy-to-understand “How-To” NFP manual at www.nfpandmore.org. The manual includes all the signs of fertility awareness plus the Seven Standards of eco-breastfeeding for spacing babies. Sheila
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I know that there are more than 5-10% of people that have many variables that would make learning the method through merely reading this literature difficult and unreliable.

If a couple is meticulous and reads method literature scientifically, and is very astute in their observations, this could work…but add any variables such as progesterone probs, PCOS,etc, and there could be a lot of confusion.

I think a problem that NFP gets a bad rap is that a couple reads the book half-way, tries to put it into practice to avoid a pregnancy and gets pregnant, and tells people they were using NFP.

There are exceptions to this, but I believe that in order to be considered using NFP to avoid pregnancy effectively, a couple would do well to have some contact with a teacher. If not, then regular review of material is needed. Again, I know there are exceptions to this. I know that more than 5-10% of people need that teacher contact for good reliable practice. (kind of like piano lessons… without a teacher, not much motivation to review material, ya know?) 🙂

There is another huge effect of NFP…is the observing for health issues.

I guess I am making this point because I think that people reading this literature might become discouraged thinking that they cannot use NFP because things aren’t working quite the way it says it should. And I have a ton of health problems, a with a great NFP doc, I still have reliable observations.
 
We do free counseling, refer to Shannon’s book Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition, cover difficult areas in Part IV, and have no trouble referring out to an NFP doctor. Charts are also easy to scan and email. And not everyone has a problem using the method. NFP International is now developing a teaching program. The manual has been approved by the USCCB as a Home Study program. We have received other encouraging support from the USCCB. Sheila
 
How do I find an nfp doctor? I went to a np obgyn today. She didn’t even have a handle on the physical ovulatory changes. Her nurse couldn’t even figure out what I was talking about and actually laughed! Great experience.:nope:
 
go to www.omsoul.com

you can search there…if you can’t find a OB/GYN, call a family practice doc or other kind that are on the list and they might be able to help you…
 
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