The Natural Family Planning Method

Natural family planning(NFP) is the method that uses the body’s natural physiological
changes and symptoms to identify the fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle. Such
methods are also known as fertility-based awareness methods.
Once a month an egg is released from one of a woman’s ovaries (ovulation). It can stay
alive in uterus for about 24 hours. Men can always produce sperm cells, and these can stay alive
in the female reproductive system for about two to five days after being deposited in the vagina
during sexual intercourse. This means women have certain time during their cycle when they are
unlikely to conceive, whereas men have no “safe period.”
Natural family planning methods are generally the preferred contraceptive method for
women who do not wish to use artificial methods of contraception for reasons of religion, or who,
due to rumors or myths, fear other methods.
However, natural family planning methods are unreliable in preventing unwanted
pregnancy. It also takes time to practice and use NFP properly; and this adds to it’s unreliability.
Moreover, natural family planning methods do not protect a person against sexually transmitted
diseases (STD’s), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The effectiveness of any method of natural family planning varies from couple to couple.
All these methods become less effective if couples do not follow the method carefully:

Types of natural family planning methods

1. Periodic abstinence (fertility awareness) method
2. Use of breastfeeding or lactationalamenorrhoea method (LAM)
3. Coitus interruptus (withdrawal or pulling out) method
 Understanding the Human Sexual Response
What is the sexual response cycle? The sexual response cycle refers to the sequence of
physical and emotional occurrences when the person is participating in a sexually stimulating
activity, such as intercourse or masturbation (Cleveland Clinic, WEB)
Knowing how the body responds during each phase of the cycle can help enhance a
couple’s sexual relationship, and it can also help address the cause of sexual dysfunction.
In general, both men and women experience these phases. However, they do not experience
it at the same time. Foe example, it is unlikely that a couple will orgasm simultaneously. Moreover,
the intensity of the sensation and the time spent in each phase also vary from person to person.
In the late 1950’s, William Masters and Virginia Johnson pioneered research to understand
human sexual response, dysfunction, and disorders. Masters and Johnson have been widely
recognized for their contributions to sexual, psychological, and psychiatric research, particularly
for their theory of a four-stage model of sexual response (also known as human sexual response
cycle)
Four phases of the human sexual response cycle:
1. Excitement 2. Plateau 3. Orgasm 4. Resolution
 Benefits of Using Family Planning According to DOH
Family planning provides many benefits to mother, children, father and the family
Mother
 Enables her to regain her health after delivery
 Gives enough time and opportunity to love and provide attention to her husband and
children
 Gives more time for her family and own personal advancement
 When suffering from an illness, gives enough time for treatment and recovery
Children
 Healthy mothers produce healthy children
 Will get all the attention, security, love and care they deserve
Father
 Lightens the burden and responsibility in supporting his family
 Enables him to give his children their basic needs (food, shelter, education and better
future)
 Gives him time for his family and own personal advancement.
 When suffering from an illness, gives enough time for treatment and recovery

Disadvantages
 Birth control health risks
Some form of birth control pose health concerns for women and men, such as allergies
to spermicides or latex. For some women, oral contraceptives can lead to hair loss and weight
gain, and the use of diaphragms can lead to urinary tract infection.

 Possibility of pregnancy
Family planning methods are not one hundred percent reliable. Other than abstinence,
there is no birth control method (including the natural rhythm method) that is completely
effective. Couples who are engaging in sexual activity should always consider the possibility
of an unexpected pregnancy.

 Pregnancy after birth control

All bodies are different. There is no way to know how long it will take a woman to
conceive, and that is true whether you have been using birth control or not. It is possible to
get pregnant almost right away after stopping hormonal contraceptives, such as birth control
pills or after having the IUD removed. On the other hand, it might take months for ovulation
and the menstrual period to return to normal. How long the menstrual period takes to return to
it’s normal cycle is entirely individual, and has nothing to do with how long the woman has
been using birth control. The most important thing to know about stopping your preferred
method of birth control is that ovulation can return immediately. Hence, a woman can get
pregnant right away.