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Encyclopedia > Fertility awareness
Fertility awareness
Background
B.C. type Periodic abstinence
First use 1950s (mucus)
mid-1930s (BBT)
1930 (Rhythm)
Failure rates (per year)
Perfect use 1-3%
Typical use 3-25%
Usage
Reversibility Yes
User reminders Dependent upon strict user adherence to methodology
Clinic review None
Advantages
Periods Prediction
Benefits no side effects, can aid pregnancy achievement
Disadvantages
STD protection No
Weight gain No

Fertility Awareness (FA) is the practice of observing one or more of a woman’s primary fertility signs to determine the fertile and infertile phases of her menstrual cycle. Depending on their goals, couples may choose to time unprotected sexual intercourse so that it falls during the fertile phase (to achieve pregnancy) or the infertile phase (to avoid pregnancy). The term Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) is sometimes used.[1] Fertility is the ability of people or animals to produce healthy offspring in abundance, and of the earth to bear fruit. ... Menstrual cycle The menstrual cycle is a recurring cycle of physiological changes in the females of some animal species that is associated with reproductive fertility. ... Unprotected sex refers to any act of sexual intercourse in which the participants use no forms of protection from sexually transmitted diseases. ... // WorldSex Daily Updated Free Links to Hardcore Sex Pictures, Movies, Free Porn Videos and XXX Live Sex Cams. ... The term trimester redirects here. ... Birth control is a regimen of one or more actions, devices, or medications followed in order to deliberately prevent or reduce the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant or giving birth. ...


The term "natural family planning" (NFP) is sometimes used to refer to any use of FA methods. However, NFP specifically refers to practices that are approved by the Roman Catholic Church — breastfeeding infertility, and periodic abstinence during fertile times. FA methods may be used by NFP users to identify these fertile times. Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a set of Catholic-sanctioned methods of family planning, which help women to achieve or avoid pregnancy by identifying times of infertility and potential fertility. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ... Natural family planning (NFP), sometimes described as periodic abstinence, is a form of birth control that involves recognizing the natural signs in a womans fertility. ... Abstinence is a voluntary forbearance from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. ...

Contents

Methods and characteristics

There are three primary fertility signs that may be used to practice FA:[2]

  • Basal body temperature (BBT)
  • Cervical mucus (Systems relying exclusively on cervical mucus include the Billings Ovulation Method, the Creighton Model, and the Two-Day Method.)
  • Cervical position (No studies have been conducted of women relying exclusively on cervical observations, though one such method has been suggested.)[3]
  • Sympto-thermo Methods combine observations of BBT, cervical mucus, and sometimes cervical position.

One of the many changes that take place in a womans body during her menstrual cycle is an increase in body temperature at the onset of ovulation. ... The Billings ovulation method is a form of natural family planning. ... The Creighton Model teaches women to observe certain biological signs to monitor their own gynaecological health, and to identify times of fertility and infertility. ...

Benefits

Fertility awareness is unique in that it is the only family planning method that:

  • can have no possible side effects. (Some FA methods encourage internal observation of the cervix or cervical mucus - the insertion of fingers into the vagina for these observations might change the vaginal environment.)
  • can be free, depending on whether or not the couple chooses to use photocopied charts, a basal thermometer, special calendars, special computer software, or other paraphernalia.
  • uses no chemicals and may use no physical devices.
  • can be practiced in accord with moral beliefs of Catholics and adherents of various other religious sects.
  • can be used both to avoid pregnancy and to conceive a child.
  • can be used to track reproductive health in general, and aid in the diagnosis of gynecological health and/or fertility problems

FA can be used by all women throughout their reproductive life, regardless of whether a woman is approaching menopause, is breastfeeding, or experiencing irregular cycles for other reasons. While not a contraindication to use, avoiding pregnancy with FA may be more difficult for women not having regular cycles. Schematic frontal view of female anatomy The cervix (from Latin neck) is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. ...


Related practices

Less popular[citation needed] and less accurate than fertility awareness methods is the Rhythm Method, Calendar Method or the Knaus-Ogino Method (named after Hermann Knaus and Kyusaku Ogino), which relies solely on counting days in order to estimate the onset of a woman's fertile period. Because of its lower accuracy, many FA teachers consider calendar rhythm to have been obsolete for at least 20 years, and no longer teach it.[4] Also, women who are breastfeeding a child and wish to avoid pregnancy may be able to practice the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM), or a stricter version known as Ecological Breastfeeding. These methods are not FA, but because they also do not involve devices or chemicals, they are often presented alongside FA as a method of birth control. Natural family planning (NFP), sometimes described as periodic abstinence, is a form of birth control that involves recognizing the natural signs in a womans fertility. ... Kyusaku Ogino (25 March 1882 - 1 January 1975) was a Japanese doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. ... Natural family planning (NFP), sometimes described as periodic abstinence, is a form of birth control that involves recognizing the natural signs in a womans fertility. ...


Pregnancy avoidance

Like the Pill and other non-barrier contraceptives, FA offers no protection against sexually transmitted diseases. FA methods do require regular, consistent effort to determine when a couple's chance of fertility is low. For many women, the times of high fertility coincide with the time of highest libido.[5] The "scheduling" of sex required can be inconvenient for partners who do not live together and are unwilling to abstain or use non-procreative forms of sex when they are able to spend time together. For these reasons, other methods are more popular than FA among large sections of society.


FA can be combined with other forms of birth control, such as condoms. Many couples will use a "back-up" method during the fertile phase, instead of abstaining from intercourse. Couples seeking maximum effectiveness might use their "back-up" method during the infertile phase, and abstain from intercourse during the fertile phase.


Avoiding pregnancy by use of FA requires couples to refrain from engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse for at least 8-10 days each cycle. Achieving the highest effectiveness rates can require an even longer period of refraining, though it is rare for couples to need to do so for more than two weeks. Despite this requirement, even FA users who practice abstinence during the fertile period have intercourse about as often as users of other birth control methods.[6]


General birth control effectiveness

The effectiveness of FA, as of artificial forms of contraception, can be assessed two ways: method effectiveness and actual effectiveness. The method effectiveness is the proportion of couples correctly and consistently using the method who do not become pregnant. Actual effectiveness is the proportion of couples who intended that method as their sole form of birth control and do not become pregnant; it includes couples who sometimes use the method incorrectly, or sometimes not at all. Effectiveness rates are generally presented per one year of use.


For all forms of contraception, actual effectiveness is lower than method effectiveness, due to several factors:

  • mistakes on the part of those providing instructions on how to use the method
  • mistakes on the part of the method's users
  • conscious user non-compliance with method.

For instance, someone using oral forms of hormonal birth control might be given incorrect information by a health care provider as to the frequency of intake, or by mistake not take the pill one day, or simply not bother to go to the pharmacy on time to renew the prescription.


Fertility awareness effectiveness

The highest effectiveness rates of FA (when used to avoid pregnancy) are found in couples that received instruction from an experienced teacher. Many couples learn FA from one of the comprehensive books on the subject, often in conjunction with online support forums, but this is thought to result in higher actual failure rates. If the intent is to avoid pregnancy, learning solely from passive online material is not recommended.


When used correctly and consistently, studies have shown some forms of FA to be 99% effective, the same as oral contraceptives.[7][8][9][10]


From Contraceptive Technology [11]:

  • Post-ovulation methods (i.e. abstaining from intercourse from menstruation until after ovulation) have a method failure rate of 1% per year.
  • The symptothermo method has a method failure rate of 2% per year.
  • The cervical mucus-only methods have a method failure rate of 3% per year.
  • Calendar rhythm has a method failure rate of 9% per year.
  • The Standard Days Method has a method failure rate of 5% per year.

For all fertility awareness methods, actual effectiveness can be significantly lower than method effectiveness - some studies have found actual failure rates of 25% per year or higher.[12][13][14] Actual failure rates vary widely depending on the population being studied and the teaching method - at least one study has found an actual failure rate of less than 1% per year,[9] and several studies have found actual failure rates of 2-3% per year.[15][16][17][18]


The most common reason for the lower actual effectiveness is not mistakes on the part of instructors or users, but conscious user non-compliance,[10][17] i.e., the couple knowing that the woman is likely to be fertile at the time, but engaging in sexual intercourse nonetheless. This is similar to failures of barrier methods, which are primarily caused by non-use of the method.


Pregnancy achievement

Intercourse timing

A study by Barrett and Marshall has shown that random acts of intercourse achieve a 24% pregnancy rate per cycle. That study also found that timed intercourse based on information from a BBT-only method of FA increased pregnancy rates to 31%-68%.


Studies of cervical-mucus methods of fertility awareness have found pregnancy rates of 67%-81% in the first cycle if intercourse occurred on the Peak Day of the mucus sign.[19][20]


Because of high rates of very early miscarriage (25% of pregnancies are lost within the first six weeks since the woman's last menstrual period, or LMP), the methods used to detect pregnancy may lead to bias in conception rates. Less-sensitive methods will detect lower conception rates, because they miss the conceptions that resulted in early pregnancy loss. A Chinese study of couples practicing random intercourse to achieve pregnancy used very sensitive pregnancy tests to detect pregnancy. It found a 40% conception rate per cycle over the 12-month study period.[21] Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or accidental termination of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or the fetus is incapable of surviving, generally defined at a gestation of prior to 20 weeks. ... Gestational age is age of a fetus (or newborn infant) from presumed conception. ...


Problem diagnosis

Regular menstrual cycles are often taken as evidence that a woman is ovulating normally, and irregular cycles as evidence she is not. However, many women with irregular cycles do ovulate normally, and some with regular cycles are actually annovulatory or have a luteal phase defect. Records of basal body temperatures, especially, but also of cervical mucus and position, can be used to accurately determine if a woman is ovulating, and if the length of the post-ovulatory (luteal) phase of her menstrual cycle is sufficient to sustain a pregnancy.


Fertile cervical mucus is important in creating an environment that allows sperm to pass through the cervix and into the fallopian tubes where they wait for ovulation.[22] Fertility charts can help diagnose hostile cervical mucus, a common cause of infertility.


Pregnancy testing and gestational age

Pregnancy tests are not accurate until 1-2 weeks after ovulation. Knowing an estimated date of ovulation can prevent a woman from getting false negative results due to testing too early. Also, 18 consecutive days of elevated temperatures means a woman is almost certainly pregnant.[23] A modern pregnancy test A pregnancy test is a test to determine whether or not a woman is pregnant. ...


Estimated ovulation dates from fertility charts are a more accurate method of estimating gestational age than the traditional pregnancy wheel or last menstrual period (LMP) method of tracking menstrual periods.[24] Gestational age is age of a fetus (or newborn infant) from presumed conception. ...


Scientific basis

Ova die if not fertilized within 24 hours of ovulation. Ovulation can be detected through changes in basal body temperatures, cervical mucus, and/or cervical position. Once ovulation has passed, conception is not possible for the remainder of the menstrual cycle. Spermatozoa are able to fertilize an ovum for a period of up to five days after they have been ejaculated. If no fertile cervical mucus is present, the acidic environment of the vagina usually results in a dramatically shorter sperm life. Intercourse that occurs more than five days before ovulation will not result in pregnancy. Intercourse that occurs in the presence of cervical mucus, and/or right before the temperature shift is most likely to result in pregnancy. Most women experience fertile cervical mucus and cervical position changes five or more days before ovulation occurs, giving them sufficient notice to avoid or plan intercourse (depending on their pregnancy intentions). A human ovum Sperm cells attempting to fertilize an ovum An ovum (plural ova) is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. ... Schematic diagram of a sperm cell, showing the (1) acrosome, (2) cell membrane, (3) nucleus, (4) mitochondria, and (5) flagellum (tail) A sperm cell, or spermatozoon ( spermatozoa) (in Greek: sperm = semen and zoon = alive), is the haploid cell that is the male gamete. ...


Observational methods

This description is an overview only. Couples wishing to use Fertility Awareness to avoid or encourage pregnancy should seek instruction from an experienced teacher.


The three primary fertility signs are basal body temperature (BBT), cervical mucus, and cervical position. A woman practicing fertility awareness may choose to observe one sign, two signs, or, all three.


Basal body temperature is a person’s temperature taken when they first wake up in the morning (or after their longest sleep period of the day). In women, ovulation will trigger a rise in BBT between 0.3 and 0.9C (0.5 and 1.6°F) that lasts approximately until the next menstruation. Sixty percent of the time, ovulation happens the day before the temperature rise. The other forty percent of the time, ovulation may happen a few days in either direction. Ovulation is the process in the menstrual cycle by which a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and discharges an ovum (also known as an oocyte, female gamete, or casually, an egg) that participates in reproduction. ...


The appearance of cervical mucus and vulvar sensation are generally described together as two ways of observing the same sign. Cervical mucus is produced by the cervix, which separates the uterus from the vaginal canal. Cervical mucus is a heterogeneous mixture of different types of mucus, several of which have specialized functions. Some of its functions are similar to those of semen - cervical mucus promotes sperm life by decreasing the acidity of the vagina and providing nourishment to the sperm. One type of mucus has a structure that helps guide sperm into the cervix and then the uterus. The production of fertile cervical mucus is caused by the same hormone (estrogen) that prepares a woman’s body for ovulation. By observing her cervical mucus, and paying attention to the sensation as it passes the vulva, a woman can detect when her body is gearing up for ovulation, and also when ovulation has passed. When ovulation occurs, estrogen production drops slightly and progesterone starts to rise. The rise in progesterone causes a distinct change in the quantity and quality of mucus observed at the vulva.[25] Each of the methods of fertility awareness observes and interprets this occurrence differently, and uses different rules to determine the onset of fertility and post-ovulatory infertility.


The cervix changes position in response to the same hormones that cause cervical mucus to be produced and to dry up. When a woman is in an infertile phase of her cycle, the cervix will be low in the vaginal canal; it will feel firm to the touch (like the tip of a person’s nose); and, the os – the opening in the cervix – will be relatively small, or ‘closed’. As a woman becomes more fertile, the cervix will rise higher in the vaginal canal; it will become softer to the touch (more like a person’s lips); and the os will become more open. After ovulation has occurred, the cervix will revert to its infertile position.


There are other techniques for detecting ovulation. Unlike the three primary signs described above, these other methods are not considered sufficiently accurate to avoid pregnancy. They are often used by couples seeking to conceive.


Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs) can detect imminent ovulation from the concentration of lutenizing hormone (LH) in a woman’s urine. A positive OPK is usually followed by ovulation within 12-36 hours.


Saliva microscopes, when correctly used, can detect ferning structures in the saliva that precede ovulation. Ferning is usually detected beginning three days before ovulation, and continuing until ovulation has occurred.


Fertility monitors are available under various brand names. These monitors use a combination of the calendar method, OPKs, and sometimes computerized interpretation of BBTs. Though the manufacturers claim high effectiveness rates for avoiding pregnancy, independent studies show failure rates comparable to the calendar method.


Many women experience secondary fertility signs that correlate loosely with ovulation. Examples include breast tenderness and mittelschmerz (ovulation pains). Mittelschmerz (German: middle pain) is a medical term for ovulation pain. Some women have mittelschmerz regularly and can time their ovulation by it, but many never experience it. ...


Further reading

  • Katie Singer, (2004). The Garden of Fertility. New York: Avery. ISBN 1-58333-182-4. 
  • Toni Weschler (2006). Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition, London: Collins. ISBN 0-06-088190-9. 
  • John F. Kippley and Sheila K. Kippley (1996). The Art of Natural Family Planning, Fourth edition, Cincinnati, OH: Couple to Couple League International. ISBN 0-926412-13-2. 

Footnotes

  1. ^ Note: FAM refers specifically to the set of symto-thermo rules published in Toni Weschler's book Taking Charge of Your Fertility.
  2. ^ Weschler, Toni (2002). Taking Charge of Your Fertility, Revised Edition, New York: HarperCollins, p.52. ISBN 0-06-093764-5. 
  3. ^ John F. Kippley and Sheila K. Kippley (1996). The Art of Natural Family Planning. Cincinnati, OH: Couple to Couple League International, p.82. ISBN 0-926412-13-2. 
  4. ^ Taking Charge of Your Fertility, pp.3-4
  5. ^ Susan B. Bullivant, Sarah A. Sellergren, Kathleen Stern, et al (February 2004). "Women's sexual experience during the menstrual cycle: identification of the sexual phase by noninvasive measurement of luteinizing hormone". Journal of Sex Research 41 (1): 82-93 (in online article, see pp.14-15,18-22). PMID 15216427. 
  6. ^ Sinai I, Arévalo M (2006). "It's all in the timing: coital frequency and fertility awareness-based methods of family planning.". J Biosoc Sci 38 (6): 763-77. PMID 17029661. 
  7. ^ Ecochard, R.; Pinguet, F.; Ecochard, I.; De Gouvello, R.; Guy, M.; and Huy, F. (1998) "Analysis of natural family planning failures. In 7007 cycles of use", Fertilite Contraception Sexualite 26(4):291-6
  8. ^ Hilgers T.W. and Stanford J.B. (1998) "Creighton Model NaProEducation Technology for avoiding pregnancy. Use effectiveness", Journal of Reproductive Medicine 43(6):495-502
  9. ^ a b Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Natural Fertility Regulation Programme in China: Shao-Zhen Qian, et al. Reproduction and Contraception (English edition), in press 2000.
  10. ^ a b Howard, M.P. and Stanford, J.B. (1999) "Pregnancy probabilities during use of the Creighton Model Fertility Care System", Archives of Family Medicine 8(5):391-402
  11. ^ James Trussell et al. (2000) "Contraceptive effectiveness rates", Contraceptive Technology — 18th Edition, New York: Ardent Media. On-press.
  12. ^ Wade ME, McCarthy P, Braunstein GD, et al (October 1981). "A randomized prospective study of the use-effectivness of two methods of natural family planning". American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 141 (4): 368-376. PMID 7025639. 
  13. ^ Medina JE, Cifuentes A, Abernathy JR, et al (December 1980). "Comparative evaluation of two methods of natural family planning in Colombia". American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 138 (8): 1142-1147. PMID 7446621. 
  14. ^ Marshall J (August 1976). "Cervical-mucus and basal body-temperature method of regulating births: field trial". Lancet 2 (7980): 282-283. PMID 59854. 
  15. ^ Frank-Herrmann P, Freundl G, Baur S, et al (December 1991). "Effectiveness and acceptability of the sympto-thermal method of natural family planning in Germany". American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 165 (6 Pt 2): 2052-2054. PMID 1755469. 
  16. ^ Clubb EM, Pyper CM, Knight J (1991). "A pilot study on teaching natural family planning (NFP) in general practice". Proceedings of the Conference at Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
  17. ^ a b (December 1993) "European Natural Family Planning Study Groups. Prospective European multi-center study of natural family planning (1989-1992): interim results". Advances in Contraception 9 (4): 269-283. PMID 8147240. 
  18. ^ Frank-Herrmann P, Freundl G, Gnoth C, et al (June-September 1997). "Natural family planning with and without barrier method use in the fertile phase: efficacy in relation to sexual behavior: a German prospective long-term study". Advances in Contraception 13 (2-3): 179-189. PMID 9288336. 
  19. ^ Ryder R (1993). ""Natural family planning": effective birth control supported by the Catholic Church". BMJ 307 (6906): 723-6. PMID 8401097. 
  20. ^ Hilgers T, Daly K, Prebil A, Hilgers S (Oct 1992). "Cumulative pregnancy rates in patients with apparently normal fertility and fertility-focused intercourse". J Reprod Med 37 (10): 864-6. PMID 1479570. 
  21. ^ Wang X, Chen C, Wang L, Chen D, Guang W, French J (2003). "Conception, early pregnancy loss, and time to clinical pregnancy: a population-based prospective study". Fertil Steril 79 (3): 577-84. PMID 12620443. 
  22. ^ Ellington, Joanna (2004). Sperm Transport to the Fallopian Tubes. Frequently Asked Questions with Dr. E. INGfertility Inc. Retrieved on 2006-08-13.
  23. ^ Weschler, p.316
  24. ^ Weschler, pp.3-4,155-156, insert p.7
  25. ^ James B. Brown (2005). Physiology of Ovulation. Ovarian Activity and Fertility and the Billings Ovulation Method. Ovulation Method Research and Reference Centre of Australia.

Toni Weschler is the author of the bestselling book on womens health and fertility, Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ...

External links

  • Justisse - An online educational resource. Lists FA teachers trained by Geraldine Matus, director of the Justisse Center. Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
  • Sister Zeus - A women's guide to synergistic fertility management.
  • Ovusoft - Information, software, message boards, and sample charts based on the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler

For teachers who teach FA in the context of the Catholic belief system as natural family planning; see natural family planning - external links. Many of these classes are geared towards married Catholic couples, and include religious content. Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a set of Catholic-sanctioned methods of family planning, which help women to achieve or avoid pregnancy by identifying times of infertility and potential fertility. ... Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a set of Catholic-sanctioned methods of family planning, which help women to achieve or avoid pregnancy by identifying times of infertility and potential fertility. ...


Software

  • BeAMommy.com - For women trying to conceive; PC, cell phone and PDA fertility tools.
  • PERIMON - Period monitoring software, available in English and German.
  • PalmNFP - Software for the Palm handheld device.


Birth control edit
Sterilization: Tubal ligation, Vasectomy, Essure
Post-intercourse: Emergency contraception • Abortion: Surgical, Medical, Herbal/Drug
Intra-uterine: IUD, IUS (progestogen)
Anti-estrogen: Ormeloxifene (a.k.a. Centchroman)
Hormonal: Combined: COCP ('the Pill'), Patch, Nuvaring

Progestogen only: POP mini-pill, Depo Provera, Norplant, Implanon Birth control is a regimen of one or more actions, devices, or medications followed in order to deliberately prevent or reduce the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant or giving birth. ... Sterilization is a surgical technique leaving a male or female unable to procreate. ... Tubal ligation is a permanent, but sometimes reversible form of female sterilization, in which the fallopian tubes are severed and sealed, in order to prevent fertilization. ... Vasectomy is a birth control method in which all or part of the vasa deferentia are surgically removed, thus sterilizing the patient. ... Essure is a permanent sterilization procedure for women developed by Conceptus Inc. ... Wikinews has news related to: FDA to move on approval of over-the-counter sale of Plan B birth control Emergency contraception (EC) (also known as Emergency Birth Control (EBC), the morning-after pill, or postcoital contraception) refers to measures that, if taken after sex, may prevent pregnancy. ... An abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. ... Abortion, in its most common usage, refers to the voluntary or induced termination of a pregnancy, generally through the use of surgical procedures or drugs. ... An abortifacient is a substance that induces abortion. ... This article is about contraceptive uterine devices that do not contain hormones. ... The IntraUterine System or IUS is an IntraUterine Device (IUD or coil) that has a coating of levonorgestrel (a progesterone) on its shaft, rather than the traditional copper wire. ... Ormeloxifene (also known as Centchroman) is one of the selective estrogen receptor modulators, or SERMs, a class of medication which acts on the estrogen receptor. ... Hormonal contraception refers to birth control methods that act on the hormonal system. ... The combined oral contraceptive pill, often referred to as the Pill, is a combination of an estrogen (oestrogen) and a progestin (progestogen), taken by mouth to inhibit normal fertility. ... A contraceptive patch is a transdermal patch applied to the skin that releases synthetic estrogen and progestin hormones to prevent pregnancy. ... - This is a copy of manufacturers copyrighted patient information leaflet, rather than an encylopedic entry - please edit. ... Progestogen Only Pills or Progestin Only Pills (POP) are contraceptive pills that only contain synthetic progestogens (progestins) and do not contain oestrogen. ... Depo-Provera is a contraceptive or birth control product which is injected every 3 months. ... Norplant is a form of birth control released in 1991 by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, consisting of a set of six small, silicone capsules filled with levonorgestrel, a synthetic progestin used in many birth control pills. ... Implanon, made by Organon International, is a contraceptive technology that is inserted under the skin of a womans upper arm. ...

Barrier: Condom, Diaphragm, Shield, Cap, Sponge, Spermicide
Behavioral: Coitus interruptus, Fertility awareness, Rhythm Method, Lactational

Avoiding vaginal intercourse: Anal sex, Oral sex, Outercourse, Masturbation, Abstinence This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... A 67 m long condom on the Obelisk of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of an awareness campaign for the 2005 World AIDS Day A condom is a device, usually made of latex, or more recently polyurethane, that is used during sexual intercourse. ... The diaphragm is a barrier method of contraception. ... Leas Shield (Canda Brand, in US: Lea Contraceptive, in Europe: LEA contraceptivum) is a female barrier method of contraception. ... Cervical cap The cervical cap is a barrier method of contraception. ... The contraceptive sponge, marketed in the U.S. under the brand Today, combines barrier and spermicidal techniques to prevent conception. ... Spermicide is a substance that kills sperm, inserted vaginally prior to intercourse to prevent pregnancy. ... Coitus interruptus, also known as withdrawal or the pull out method, is a method of contraception in which, during sexual intercourse, the man removes his penis from the womans vagina just before he reaches orgasm. ... Natural family planning (NFP), sometimes described as periodic abstinence, is a form of birth control that involves recognizing the natural signs in a womans fertility. ... Natural family planning (NFP), sometimes described as periodic abstinence, is a form of birth control that involves recognizing the natural signs in a womans fertility. ... Roman men having anal sex. ... Oral sex consists of all sexual activities that involve the use of the mouth, tongue, and possibly the throat, to stimulate genitalia. ... Outercourse is sexual activity without vaginal or anal penetration, as opposed to intercourse. ... Mulher sentada de coxas abertas, 1916 drawing by Gustav Klimt Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation, particularly of ones own genitals and often to the point of orgasm, which is performed manually, by other types of bodily contact (except for sexual intercourse), by use of objects or tools, or by... Sexual abstinence is the practice of voluntarily refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity. ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
Fertility Awareness : American Pregnancy Association (1620 words)
Fertility awareness is a collection of methods using your body's natural and normal functioning to determine the days of the month you are most likely to get pregnant.
Fertility awareness or Natural Family Planning is a method of birth control that does not use any drugs or devices.
Fertility awareness is an acceptable means of birth control for couples who have religious concerns related to contraception.
Natural family planning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (875 words)
Deliberately altering fertility or the marital act with the intention of preventing procreation is considered to be a grave sin.
Thus, it is considered moral to abstain during the fertile part of the woman's menstrual cycle.
Fertility awareness forms of NFP (which require daily charting of fertility signs) can result in couples communicating more about their bodies and sexuality; this is said to improve communication skills throughout the entire marriage.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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