Natural family planning is a method used to help a woman achieve pregnancy by understanding the fertility cycle better and gaining insight into when you are most likely able to conceive. A woman is only fertile for about 100 to 120 hours each month. So by utilizing natural family planning you can determine when intercourse may or may not result in pregnancy.
During your menstrual cycle, your ovaries will release an egg which is called ovulation. The egg makes its way towards the uterus through the fallopian tubes where it can unite with a sperm. Your egg can live for up to 12 to 24 hours on its own without hooking up with a sperm. If the egg and sperm never connect, then your body will shed it later during your menstrual period. Your best chance of getting pregnant is to have intercourse just after ovulation.
Two Methods of Natural Family Planning• The ovulation method - the days just before and just after ovulation are determined by checking your cervical mucus. You will know when you are most likely to become pregnant, because you cervical mucus will be stretchy clear and slick. It kind of looks and feels like an uncooked egg white.
• The second method is called the symptothermal method. With this method, you take your temperature each day with a basal body thermometer and write it down on a chart. At the time of ovulation, your temperature will rise slightly. You will also check the consistency of your cervical mucus. And you will need to pay attention to other changes as well, such as pain in the area of the ovaries, bloating, low backache and breast tenderness.
In both methods, you will use a special chart to keep track of the changes that are occurring in your body. These methods can help you avoid pregnancy if you don't want to get pregnant or help you to achieve pregnancy if that is your goal. Both methods can be 90% to 98% effective when they are practiced correctly. If you absolutely don't want to get pregnant that you should probably talk to your doctor about another, more reliable form of birth control.
And the good news is that as many as 2 out of 3 couples who don't have fertility problems become pregnant if they have sexual intercourse on the days that the cervical mucus is clearest and most stretchable.
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