Natural Family Planning, also known as fertility awareness or the sympto-thermal method, is a natural and effective way to track your menstrual cycle and use that information to either achieve or avoid pregnancy. Unlike traditional methods of birth control, which often involve the use of hormones or devices, natural family planning relies on understanding and working with your body’s natural rhythms. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of natural family planning and how you can use your menstrual cycle for pregnancy.
1. Understanding and Appreciating Your Body
Natural family planning encourages women to become more aware and in tune with their bodies. By tracking your menstrual cycle, you become more aware of the changes happening in your body and can better understand how your hormones are affecting you. This can help you appreciate your body more and develop a deeper connection with it. By understanding your body’s natural rhythms, you can also identify potential health issues early on and seek necessary medical attention.
2. No Side Effects
Unlike hormonal birth control methods, natural family planning does not come with any side effects. Many women who use hormonal birth control report experiencing side effects such as weight gain, mood swings, and decreased libido. With natural family planning, you do not have to worry about these side effects as you are not introducing any foreign substances into your body.
3. Effective for Achieving Pregnancy
For couples looking to start a family, natural family planning can be an effective tool. By tracking your menstrual cycle, you can identify your most fertile days and plan to have intercourse during that time. This method has been proven to be up to 99% effective in achieving pregnancy when used correctly.
4. Cost-Effective
Natural family planning is a cost-effective method of birth control. Unlike other forms of birth control that require you to purchase pills, devices, or pay for doctor visits, all you need for natural family planning is a thermometer and a chart to track your cycle. This can save you a significant amount of money in the long run.
5. Environmentally Friendly
Since natural family planning does not involve the use of any hormonal or disposable products, it is an environmentally friendly method of birth control. By choosing this method, you are reducing your carbon footprint and helping to protect the environment.
6. Can be Used at Any Stage in Life
Unlike other forms of birth control, natural family planning can be used at any stage in life. Whether you are a teenager just starting your menstrual cycle or a woman approaching menopause, this method is suitable for all ages. This is because it is a natural and non-invasive way of tracking your cycle.
The Benefits of Natural Family Planning: Using Your Menstrual Cycle for Pregnancy
7. Helps to Strengthen Your Relationship
Natural family planning requires open communication and cooperation between partners. By working together to track and understand your cycle, you can deepen your bond and strengthen your relationship. It also encourages couples to have more intentional and meaningful intimate moments.
Using Your Menstrual Cycle for Pregnancy
Natural family planning can also be used to achieve pregnancy. By tracking your menstrual cycle, you can identify your most fertile days and plan to have intercourse during that time. This method is known as the sympto-thermal method, which involves tracking your basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and other physical signs to determine when you are ovulating.
Tracking your basal body temperature involves taking your temperature every morning before getting out of bed. This temperature rises slightly after ovulation, indicating that you have ovulated. By tracking this rise in temperature, you can identify your most fertile days and plan to have intercourse during that time.
Cervical mucus is another sign of fertility. As you approach ovulation, your cervical mucus becomes thin and stretchy, resembling egg whites. This mucus helps sperm to travel to the egg, increasing your chances of pregnancy. By tracking your cervical mucus, you can identify when you are most fertile and plan accordingly.
In addition to these physical signs, you can also use ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) to further narrow down your most fertile days. These kits detect the surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) that occurs right before ovulation.
By using the sympto-thermal method, you can increase your chances of pregnancy while also avoiding the use of artificial hormones or devices.
Summary:
Natural family planning is a safe and effective method of birth control that involves understanding and tracking your menstrual cycle. By becoming more aware of your body and its natural rhythms, you can use this method to either achieve or avoid pregnancy. It is cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and can be used at any stage in life. By using the sympto-thermal method, you can increase your chances of pregnancy while also strengthening your relationship with your partner.