Thursday, 08 April 2010
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NFP vs. Rhythm Method
Today's blog is a bite-sized PSA regarding sexual ingnorance. Nope, it's not a blog advocating widespread awareness a la Planned Parenthood style. This is anything but your average "be safe and get tested" speech. It's a whole different angle.
I chose to revisit this topic after presenting an NFP (Natural Family Planning) class to a new couple last Thursday. When the wife mentioned that her doctor had warned her NFP was the Rhythm Method and a bad idea for women with irregular cycles, I couldn't roll my eyes enough. For the LOVE, how long will doctors keep saying this?? In a day & age where knowledge is pretty much accessible to everyone, how can some of the most educated people still be the most ignorant? I'm walking proof that NFP was made for irregular cycles.
It's time to ask all the right questions:
Why is the most scientifically proven method on the planet still labeled as the Rhythm Method?Why aren't people being told about something that's 99% effective, 100% natural, and 0% damaging to their bodies & the environment?
Why aren't "green" advocates adding this to their list of favorite things?
What's behind this bizarre widespread ignorance?
Money. If anyone denies that money is the driving force behind everything in this country, sexual ignorance is the least of your problems. And NFP doesn't equal money. (There's your understatement of the year.) Imagine every woman choosing the healthy, free, simple method of NFP. She'd never have to fill another monthly pill or IUD prescription for the rest of her life. (Not to mention avoiding an increased risk for blood clots, stroke, weight gain, depression, and impaired fertility. But that's another blog altogether.) Losing millions of women to NFP would mean the serious crash and burn of pharmaceutical companies everywhere.
Even if the moral difference between NFP & contraception isn't clear to everyone, the financial, physical, and environmental differences are blaringly obvious. NFP has something to offer everyone; religious or not, irregular cycles or not, everyone can find something to love about the lifestyle.
The more people know, the better. So if you've got balls, do what our students are doing: learn about it for yourself, then share the truth with your friends... and your doctor. You're paying them to choose what's best for your health, not what's best for their wallets.
Have you ever heard of NFP? If so, did you think it was the Rhythm Method? Would be interested to learn more about a highly effective, all-natural option to birth control?
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- From: juliesally100@xanga
- Name: Julie
- Location: Syracuse, New York, United States
- About Me: an old-school feminist with a heart of gold and a touch of attitude
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Comments (43)
It's not always as effective as other methods though, especially for some people who are careless like so many people these days. Some people aren't willing to figure out when it's safe, when it's not, and just do whatever they want anyways. Some people mis-calculate or make mistakes with this method. I personally wouldn't rely on it, and would constantly be worrying about unwanted pregnancy. I've researched it and it's not for me, but I do keep track of the general times of my cycle I should avoid sex, but also use condoms and the pill in addition to this. Seems fool-proof this way, and allows me to mis-calculate dates [by accident] without ending up in a panic and gives me peace of mind. It is helpful though, especially for people who may be using JUST condoms. It's helpful to use the NFP method as a back up in case a condom ever breaks, but I wouldn't use NFP alone.
To say it is "99% effective" is a bit wrong, it's more like 95% effective. But that aside, it also requires a fair bit of abstention, and I suspect that more than money is the reason behind unpopularity of this method.
My parents did this with great success. I know women who monitor their basal temperatures with great success. It'd be too much work for me, personally, and I wouldn't like the "you can only have sex these 16 days of the month" aspect.
i really appreciate how much better the pill has made my period. before i was getting health insurance from my job, i was getting it for free from planned parenthood, now it's only $25/month. a very small price to pay for a lot less pain.
i had very irregular periods before i started taking it so i don't think that i would try something like this. i would probably make a mistake anyways.
if you're so intelligent on the topic, you'd realize that:
NFP specifically refers to the Catholic Church's particular program advocating behavioral birth control. so your argument that the religion is irrelevant is somewhat facetious.
the rhythm method is one of a few NFP options.
depending on which NFP option you choose, it certainly can be expensive. certain machinery and tests may be needed to track hormone levels, basal body temperature, etc.
and personally, i don't see anything to love about keeping my fingers crossed that i chose the right hour of the right day to have sex.
I'm an NFP'er! Best birth control ever!!! I love knowing whats going on with my body.. I love how I'm not surprised when my period comes.. my temp drops... ok I'll get my period today.. and POOF there it is! lol
I am breastfeeding with irregular cycles and NFP is working for me. It does take some self control of course, and I think that is why doctors don't recommend. It takes that self control to abstain during fertile days, or at least throw on a condom.I totally recommend the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility for anyone interested in this BC method.
I have never heard of NFP; as a someone who does NOT want to get pregnant anytime soon and is naturally very fertile, I will definitley be looking into in. I've always been in that 1% ( pregnant 3 times while properly using the pill, once with a condom as well) so I'm always looking for other methods. Thanks for the info.
It already bums me out that I can't have sex for the four days I'm on my period while on the pill. I don't think I'd like not having sex for all the days I'm fertile. That's why I use hormonal birth control. I also don't have the self discipline to measure my internal temperatures every day. It seems like a waste of time. Also, I'm almost 100% certain that the rhythm method is a sub-sect of Natural Family Planning, they're not two separate entities.
@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - I have several non-Catholic friends who use & love NFP. While it is true that Catholicism has become exclusively associated with NFP, my point is that NFP has plenty other benefits aside from moral ones. You certainly don't have to be Catholic to want to save money, stay healthy, and keep the environment clean.
NFP is definitely not expensive. By virtue of the fact that you're aware of your body's natural signals, there's no need to buy "machinery" to track hormone levels. A simple thermometer is all you need to track body temperature. If through NFP women discover that something's "off" with their cycles, then certainly, medical tests would be a good idea. But extra devices & tests aren't par for the NFP course.
NFP is scientifically proven to be 99% effective when done correctly. I completely agree that the margin of error increases with less diligence and attention to detail. The same could be said about the Pill. You hear about women forgetting to take their pill all the time. Didn't that Kardashian girl say that?
But seriously though... just because people don't always take advantage of NFP's full potential doesn't mean the potential doesn't exist. When done correctly, there's no worry, no finger-crossing, no lucky charms needed. My cycles are irregular as the next girl, yet it's worked for almost 4 years of marriage.
I'm very familiar with it, my family's very involved in medicine, and I think it's awesome. It can also be beneficial for your relationships and has the reverse benefit that it can help you BECOME pregant easier when you want to.
Yeah, it takes discipline, but so does a successful marriage. It also takes discipline to remember to take your pill every day and avoid alcohol, because that can make it less effective and more likely to have harmful side effects.
And, no, it's not the rhythm method at all. Rhythm method is an archaic practice with little scientific value. NFP uses simple, scientific observation.
Okay, if somebody doesn't want to use it, but don't bash it or people who have had success with it.
@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - //NFP specifically refers to the Catholic
Church's particular program advocating behavioral birth control. so
your argument that the religion is irrelevant is somewhat facetious. //
I think the argument is that you don't need to be a Catholic to follow NFP. True, it is advocated by the Church but it does not logically follow that something advocated by a religious body requires belief in that religion in order to be practiced.
For NFP, it is true that some of the instruments used can be expensive (eg: fertility monitors), but that is dependent upon a variety of factors; it is not necessary to use the most expensive materials to successfully conduct NFP any more than it is to purchase the most expensive contraceptives.
Great post! NFP is widely misunderstood, in spite of all the science behind it and the benefits. Thank you for posting this!
And I just noticed that Xanga chopped some of the links in my original post.
Here's more info on NFP: http://ccli.org/nfp/basics/effectiveness-p01.php
To find a local teacher & classes: http://register.ccli.org/
I don't know much about "NFP" but I practice the rhythm method along with another form of BC.
Perhaps you are on to something.
I don't know anything about it, but I'm interested in learning... where can I get more information about it?
wait, so what IS the rhythm method?
i'm interested.
@iiinfinitesimal@xanga - The rhythm method is basically keeping track of your menstrual cycle really strictly (that way you know when you're ovulating) and being in tune with your body and the signs it gives you. You're basically fertile for 5 days out of the month (from 4 days before the day you ovulate). Contrary to popular belief, it's nearly impossible to get pregnant any other time of the month. They teach us we can get pregnant any time of the month, but unless you have a completely fucked up cycle, that's not true.
I would rather pay and have sex when I'm in the mood, instead of when I'm infertile. Cause I guarantee you, those don't always coincide.
NFP, which I refer to as FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) is MUCH more effective than the rhythm method. The rhythm method puts all women on a similar cycle whereas FAM or NFP take into account each individual woman. I have a 30 day cycle and I ovulate later because of it. My husband and I have used this method to get pregnant AND to prevent. It takes into account OTHER fertility factors other than BBT, it also takes into account your cervical position (including whether it is soft or hard) and cervical mucous. The rhythm method doesn't take into account those factors.
@SongAndSerenity@xanga - Check out the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Your local library should have it...it explains everything and it is VERY easy to understand. I LOVE this method! :D
It would have been nice if you explained what these are, instead of just telling us why one's so much better.
Sure it's great for some people, but really, I'm just sticking with birth control pills for now.
Who needs the rhythm method when you can just use the pull-out method and optimism?
Strange to post a blog about NFP without explaining it or referencing a good source of explaining the method. Try this one:
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/fertility-awareness-4217.htm
So if used totally perfectly it appears to have a .3-5% fail rate, but in practice (because no one is really perfect) the fail rate is more like 12-25%. I'm all for considering options that have the good potential, but please be careful about perpetuating myths in a public forum.
As for me- I'm sticking with methods proven more reliable (i.e. hormones) until I'm in a position to be prepared to care for a child.
@sistahmanda@xanga - I could cite that it's in the best interests of Planned Parenthood to criticize family planning methods because it would deprive them of a source of income (abortions/abortion referrals), as well as purchasing contraceptives. However while notable in and of itself, it doesn't invalidate your counter-claims regarding NFP/rhythm methods.
Your source fails to specify the citations for the statistics as well as define what is "consistently" using the NFP. With such a vague set of definitions, I could argue, likely with equal effectiveness, that condoms used every day except during the days of female ovulation (+/- 72-120 hours) would thus result in a rate of pregnancy equivalent to not using birth control methods at all, and mark that as not being used "consistently".