To think natural family planning can work

[Chocolatefrog27]

I know a lot of people get really irate about this topic but....wondered if people have had long lasting success with natural family planning. Ie only dtd at non fertile times of the month.

I did have very regular cycles and it was always very obvious to me when i was ovulating so I have used this method with success in the past. Albeit briefly.

Now I'm on the pill but it's making me fat and hormonal! I'm thinking of coming off it. Dp and I don't dtd that much - maybe only a few times a month. If we did get caught it wouldn't be the end of the world but I wouldn't say we are actively planning for it either. Have discussed this with dp and he feels that it would suit us.

So my question is once my cycle is back to normal would this be a 'good enough' method based on our circumstances and has anyone else used it with success before?

You likely will get pregnant using that method. Up to you if you are ok with that or not but don’t be kidding yourself that it’s contraception.

I agree

And no it’s not ‘good enough’.

There are plenty of other contraceptive choices that are as effective as the pill. ‘Natural’ family planning isn’t one of them!

My understanding is that once you've ovulated you won't get pregnant. If you have a regular cycle and clear signs that you're ovulating I'm not sure how it can be such an unreliable method if you just don't dtd for that week of ovulation.

Do you really want to miss out on being able to have sex in what is likely to be your horniest part of the month too?

Not the greatest form of contraception. I suppose it might be a bit ‘safer’ if he withdrawals too.
But as I said, not the best! What about the Copper Coil? Pretty safe and non hormonal!

If you go on the NHS website I think it says it's about the same effectiveness as condoms if used correctly. About 92%
I've used it fine since I've been married (5 years) with 2 planned pgs.

Like you I have regular periods and can tell when I'm ovulating.

Having said that, I wouldn't just rely on it if I 100% didn't want a baby. We were more 'a baby would be inconvenient/badly timed' rather than a catastrophe.

The thing is, you can have signs of ovulating (discharge etc) and not ovulate for another few days or you can ovulate earlier than expected; so your own best-guess can be wrong. Sperm can live for up to 5 days so you'd need to avoid sex for at least 2 weeks out of the month.

I wouldn't rely on that method to prevent pregnancy.

Can you not use condoms?

Depends whether you’re prepared to accept the side effect of pregnancy and how important not conceiving is, surely? The FPA say natural methods can be 99% effective but you have to be committed and careful for that to be the case.
www.fpa.org.uk/sites/default/files/natural-family-planning-your-guide.pdf
Would you really only want sex on a few days each month? What about after sharing a bottle of Rioja? What about when he tells you that you’re beautiful in Wellington boots and a sou’wester?
Would you consider adding in spermicide or using condoms?
Why not make an appointment with your family planning nurse and discuss the best option for you.
Many of my Catholic friends used a variety of natural methods but most had quite large families, to be honest.

Can't you use condoms? Natural family planning is really not sufficient contraception.

My 2-year old says "it's not the most reliable method"...

Glad I used it though, I wouldn't change him for the world 😂

If you don’t want to take hormonal contraception and don’t like condoms you could use a diaphragm (Caya one from amazon is the same thing as the one they give out on the nhs in lots of areas- one size fits most). It’s not as reliable as condoms etc (96% if used correctly with spermicide) but is far better than relying on natural contraception.

I guess that’s why my mother had eight children.

I'm sick of hormonal contraception when we don't even dtd that much. And yes condoms are an option but just don't really like them and nor does dp.

We have used the 'pull out' method for 8 years. Both times we TTC I fell pregnant the first month. But if we had 'accidentally' caught any other time it wouldn't have been the end of the world.

I have two friends who used this method as contraception - both got pregnant within a few months! That was despite them diligently taking their temp at the same time each day, monitoring mucus etc. It is not an effective method of contraception!

We've used it for 8 years. We have one child which was very much planned.
I'm regular as clockwork though and track it with an app. I know it doesn't work for everyone but it's great for us.

I am a secondary school sex educator. We (and the majority of GP's and sexual health folks) don't recommend it because while the failure rate is comparable WITH PERFECT USE, perfect use is effectively impossible, especially if you are over 33ish or have given birth in the last 2-3 years.

Oh yes! I also used condoms in the middle bit If we had sex. Had nothing against them. When I had the 'natural cycles' app it usually gave me about 10 red( no sex) days a month.

Oh and we use condoms as I can't do hormonal contraception.

I suppose if you're regular and really careful, it would probably work for some months, but biology can be fickle, and just because you're normally regular doesn't guarantee it always will be.

In any case, when I'm coming up to ovulation, that's when I most want to have sex, lots of it, and orgasms tend to be easier and more intense. I know I couldn’t rely on myself to always be sensible and say no. Is it so difficult to use condoms or something other than a hormonal contraceptive, if you're sure you don't want a baby? I certainly wouldn't risk it unless I was okay with the idea of being pregnant and having a child.

We still have sex during fertile days we just use condoms or he pulls out.

Lots of different experiences and opinions thank you :)

As I said it wouldn't be the end of the world. If I was dead against it I'd continue on the pill. But in the past I have used it successfully especially post ovulation as the pains and discharge I had were like clockwork and even then I'd leave it a week or so after just to be safe. It does mean not having sex for a two weeks out of the month but dp has low sex drive anyway so don't think that would pose too much of a problem!

As someone with irregular cycles (ranging between 30 to 45 days). I can't understand how it's meant to be so affective. I suppose if you were activity tracking ovulation maybe. But like others have said sperm can live up to 7 days.