Natural family planning, sometimes called the rhythm method, can work as an effective means of contraception. However, it requires the woman to obtain exceptional knowledge about her body and it requires self-discipline on the part of both partners.

Couples using natural family planning as contraceptive track a woman's fertile period using a number of techniques. By abstaining from sex when the woman is ovulating - and in the days before and after ovulation - the couple can effectively prevent pregnancy. The reverse is also true: tracking ovulation times can help a couple trying to conceive get pregnant more quickly.

Natural family planning works best for women with regular cycles, where a menstrual period comes once every 21 to 35 days. (The average menstrual cycle is 28 days).

Methods to track ovulation include:

- Tracking Basal Body Temperature (BBT)

- Tracking cervical position and cervical mucus consistency

- Using a calendar

Basal Body Temperature (BBT) - Your body's baseline temperature - the temperature before any activity rises slightly on the day of ovulation and stays that way until your period. Use a BBT thermometer, available for about $10 at most drug stores, before you get out of bed every morning. As you track the results, a pattern will emerge and, after a few months, you'll be able to pinpoint the spike in BBT as an indication of ovulation.

Cervical position/cervical mucus - Cervical mucus, the fluid produced by the lining of your cervical canal, changes consistency throughout the month. During ovulation, mucus becomes thin, transparent and plentiful, expediting the transport of sperm through the vagina and up the cervix.

To recognize your fertile dates, track your cervical mucus throughout the month. Immediately following menstruation, you will experience dryness, where any fluid (there won't be much) is opaque and very thick.

Mid-cycle, the fluid begins to thin out. It will still be cloudy, but will become slightly stretchy.

Cervical fluid that is extremely thin and very stretchy - the consistency of egg whites - indicates ovulation.

Similarly, your cervical position changes throughout your cycle. To check your cervical position, place your middle finger all the way up into your vagina until you can touch your cervix; the cervix feels like a rounded cylinder.

At the start of your cycle, it should be low and relatively easy to touch. It rises to a higher position - you may not even be able to feel it with your middle finger - during ovulation.

Again, keep a chart to track your cervical position and, within a few months, you will recognize the signs of ovulation.

Calendar - Many Web sites offer an ovulation tracker calendar. Note the first day of your period for several months and entering the length of your cycle into the tracker and it will show you a calendar of your most fertile dates.

A combination of these three methods yields the best results for natural family planning. Be sure to use a back-up birth control method as you learn to recognize the signs of ovulation.

Learn more about this author, Dawn Allcot.
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