Rhythm method

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“”There's a name for people who use the rhythm method - parents.

—Clete Adelman, MiraCosta College

The rhythm method is a method of birth control involving abstaining from unprotected sex except on days when a woman is believed to be "infertile" determined only by calendar-based calculations. Natural family planning is a newer, more scientifically refined entry into abstinence methods of birth control. NFP does not rely merely on following the calendar. Women using NFP are taught to monitor some or all of: changes in their cervical mucus, a fall in their basal body temperature, as well as the dilation and closure of their cervix to determine approaching fertility and its passing.

Proponents

The arrhythmic family

It is used by:

1. People without easy access to other forms of birth control;
2. People who choose not to use other forms of birth control, often because of religious beliefs or belief in natural remedies and methods in general;
3. People who want to have kids.

Natural Family Planning is assessed by Planned Parenthood's Alan Guttmacher Institute to have a perfect use effectiveness rate of 91%, and an actual user rate of 75%. The method can work well for couples in a stable relationship who are smart enough to learn the various indicia of fertility. Effectiveness increases if barrier methods are employed on each end of the "heading-toward-or-away-from-fertility" days, and intercourse is avoided during the 3-4 days of peak fertility. Catholics, and some fundamentalists, of course, are not allowed to combine NFP with "artificial" contraception.

References

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