Natural Family Planning - Pataskala,OH

Hi A.!

I also reccommend the book and the Billings method (it's not outdated!). There is A LOT more to Family Planning than taking your temperature. There are a lot of other signs. I reccommend practicing the procedures before you jump right into it. And since you're off birth control already, you might want to use other forms of protection until you are 100% comfortable with the Family Planning.

I'm Catholic (went to Catholic gradeschool, high school, and college) and this method got DRILLED into my head. However, I did see high school friends get pregnant because they weren't doing everything correctly. Just do your research and read up on everything. You'll do fine! :)

A terrific website for NFP or TTC is Fertilityfriend.com. You can keep track, daily, of your BBT, cervical mucus (Highly recommended you learn how to check this), your periods, ovulation schedule, and many more things. I am using this website for NFP...or I was trying to until my cycles disappeared. So right now, my fertility is questionable, lol. Good luck!

I urge you to use some type of physical barrier method rather than rely solely on natural planning. It's a beautiful way to go if you are prepared for the blessing, but don't rely on it alone for serious planning. I will share with you what the doctor said to us when my husband and I were newlyweds: "We have a word for natural family planners - we call them PARENTS." Our daughter was born 9 months and 6 days after our wedding :-) A blessing to be sure, but we were also totally willing to accept God's timetable. Learn all about NFP and explore the process, but be prepared.

I just want to say GOOD FOR YOU! I have successfully used NFP to avoid pregnancy for 4 years now, so I disagree with those that say you will get pregnant. Most people who get pregnant while using "NFP" are actually using the old Rhythm method or they don't follow the rules (for example, they don't abstain during fertile times but use a condom, and then they blame NFP instead of the the condom for the pregnancy). Now, I admit it is sometimes hard to follow the rules! But the benefits (health and relationship) are worth it.
The success rate is better than the pill (99.9%) IF you follow the rules. There are people who get pregnant on the pill too, but no one says "don't use it, it doesn't work."
I would suggest taking a class, because it's much easier than trying to learn on your own. There are special issues with coming off the pill that makes it a little harder to learn.
Good luck!

I suggest that you might use a back up like condoms or something. This route is not 100% and you have a high chance of pregnancy! Do your religious beliefs keep you from using anything? In that case I would contact your gyno and ask everything you can do to do natural family planning.

I guess it is great to try natural family planning but my only warning is be ready for anything. I went off my birth control January 06 and was monitoring myself very closely I had my cycle down to almost the day I ovulated however in my seventh month of being off the pill I found out I was pregnant!! (I have a scheduled C-Section with my third child on Thursday)

I second the response on "taking charge of your fertility".
It is awesome you are getting your body off of birth control.
If used correctly, natural family is very effective. Check your local library for the book and read the entire thing.
Good Luck!

The previous responses indicating that NFP is VERY effective IF practiced correctly are right. However, I too suggest using a barrier method of BC for your first few cycles till you get to know your body. "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" is GREAT! It explains it all very clearly. You MUST follow the rules religiously, though. I know of quite a few ladies who got pg "accidentally" while practicing NFP, and ALL of them can cite the rule(s) that they broke the cycle you got pg. It's important to cross-check all your fertility signs (temp, cervical mucus, and cervical position) to be sure you're pinpointing your fertile phase effectively.

GOOD LUCK! It's a great way to go hormone-free. And once you're ready to get pg, it's an easy transition. We conceived my DD my 3rd cycle while charting. Now, we're using a hybrid of NFP and a diaphragm to avoid.

I recommend reading up on the Billings Method. It teaches you to monitor vaginal secretions so that you notice changes that may mean you're ovulating. I'm not sure if it's outdated, but I it seems to work for me!

My husband and I used this plan to get pregnant, but it would be very easy to use it for the reverse also.

My biggest suggestion would be to not just use your temperature but also very closely follow the uterus position, vaginal discharge, and i think there is one other one. I essentially made 12 copies of a chart i found online requiring you to check those things everyday. After about three months it's amazing how differently your see your body and how it actually works. If i can find the chart i'll send it to you.

Everyone I know who used NFP was pregnant in less than twelve months, including me. If you do not want to get pregnant in the near future, I would not use NFP. Just my opinion.

at www.canfp.org there is a listing of California NFP resources, and tons of Q and A on NFP

A really great book is "Taking Charge of your Fertility" that explains exactly how and what to chart. I learned so much from it! NFP is like 99% effective if done correctly. Good luck!

Congratulations on being chemially hormone free. Once you get use to that you will ove the way your body feels. We used NFP and had 4 children. I think it is a great way to plan children if you are planning children if you want straight birth control I would consider something else. You must be absolutely consistent with this method and even a "just this once" can get you a beautiful baby.

Knowing what your body is doing and when is terrific. My husband was very involved with NFP and he now knows my body better than I do.

I agree with the other women use something non chemical until your body re-adjust and then follow this by the letter. There are many more symptoms than just temperature that need to be monitored.

Best of Luck,
J.

Hi A.,

I highly recommend a book titled: Taking Charge of Your Fertility; The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control and Pregnancy Achievement by Toni Weschler, MPH. My husband and I used this method and this book was extremely helpful.

I have a 4 year old daughter and am 9 weeks pregnant with our second child.

Good luck and take care.
D.

Hello A.. I am not sure if this is helpful at all or not, but I remember seeing (at the RX) a tool someone could use to track their fertility to see when they were ovulating when trying to get pregnant. It seems that it would work the other way too. It was with the pregnancy test and I don't think it was very expensive. Best of Luck!

I used www.mymonthlycycles.com to chart my cycles...it worked really well...and I KNEW when I conceived our son. After periods come back (hopefully not for another year since I'm exclusively nursing) I will use that site again to prevent pg using NFP...Good luck to you! :)

A., I highly recommend the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". It's a very informative book for any woman; I learned a lot about my body. I used the sympto-thermal method (using barrier contraceptives in lieu of abstinence during fertile times) for about 2 years with good success (i.e., no pregnancy), although it does take effort and consistency. Best of luck. N. M