Posted on 05/14/2014 2:25:09 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
Natural family planning is gaining support with some women because of health concerns about hormonal birth control. (FOTOLIA)
"Women start to realize if I’m eating organic and I’m drinking out of glass, and I’m making all these efforts in every other aspect of my life, why would I manage my fertility with a carcinogen?" — Karen Murphy Corr, Serena BC
Natural family planning is gaining popularity with those who have no religious reasons for abstaining from hormonal birth control.
“I would say that there is a shift of people using NFP for reasons other than faith,” said Kristen Gilbert, director of education at Options for Sexual Health.
As the only birth control method permitted by the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations, NFP is often confused with the rhythm method.
“It is a scientific method, it’s not the rhythm method or the calendar method — it works,” said Karen Murphy Corr, provincial coordinator at Serena BC, which offers NFP services.
There are many different NFP methods, but they all revolve around tracking one or more of the following — basal body temperature, cervical mucus and position of the cervix. These are all signs of the hormonal changes that occur throughout a women’s menstrual cycle. Couples then record this information on a chart or a smartphone app and abstain from sex entirely or use a barrier form of birth control during the women’s fertile phase.
There are still many misconceptions about NFP, Murphy Corr said, and that’s part of the reason women interested in the method are often steered away from it by medical professionals.
The safety of hormonal birth control has been called into question following 24 recent deaths with possible links to the Yaz and Yasmin pills.
Studying the pill’s side effects is something that led Holly Grigg-Spall, author of Sweetening the Pill, to advocate for alternate forms of birth control.
"Sex-positive advocates should be the biggest fans of fertility awareness methods,” she wrote in a recent blog post.
In addition to preventing unplanned pregnancies, experts say NFP allows women to learn more about their bodies and it improves communication between couples.
Understood. Always get a second opinion is a good idea.
My distaste with the whole chemically regulated female cycles is this. About 15 years ago I worked with a lady who was on the pill and had been for 20 years or more. Married professional to another professional. Waited till she got out of school (she was a PhD), got the perfect job, bought the perfect house, took the perfect vacations and had the perfect life. Then, at age 43, she decided it was time for kids. So she stopped taking her pill. (I blame the media and feminists for this bout of fantasy on her part, what kind of knuckleheaded idea did she have that 43 was a good age to start a family? Starlets who spontaneously pump out twins at 44 that are probably donor egg babies don’t help this fantasy either)
And waited.
And waited.
And peed on a sheaf of sticks but never did get a + or double line.
She was in menopause already and didn’t realize any of the ‘pre’ symptoms because she’d been on the pill. She probably could have had a kid had she started that journey in her mid 30’s. But the pill was convenient, trustworthy and covered up her initial menopause symptoms until it was wayyyyy too late for any fertility clinic to help with that.
Remember the butter/margarine commercial from the 70’s? ‘It’s not nice to fool mother nature!’.
Stanne, thanks for the post. I had no problem with it.
I read it all and it was straight forward and expressed a valid viewpoint. That’s fine with me.
I’ve got no axe to grind here. I try to explain how things worked out for people I know, because if one person has a question, then a number of people do.
Alternative views on this are welcome. When it comes to medicine, there’s frequently not one answer.
Vicodin is the only pain killer that works for me. Nothing else even touches my pain. I can take it, and it doesn’t affect me at all other than to take severe pain completely away in a matter of minutes. I don’t get sleepy, experience a high, or anything else associated with incapacity.
Other of my family members can’t take it, because it makes their stomach violently upset.
That’s the way it goes...
Thanks Black Agnes. That’s a good point.
Reminds me of the opening sequences of “Ideocracy” where the family that could have supported kids and been responsible, kept putting it off until the guy died of a heart attack.
Meanwhile, Johnny two-timer down the street fathered a lot of kids from a lot of women, and his family tree when orbital.
The pill didn’t figure in there, at least not addressed, but I think it’s a valid point to mention it here in the context you did.
It’s something women should consider, no doubt.
Vicodin is a pain killer. Like antibiotics, they are wonderful when used as researchers and developers intended
The Pill, when used as intended, is not good in any way toward healing, improving ones social life, not anything, unless viewed from a selfish perspective, which is always going to lead to someone’s unhappiness
Vicodin, it’s for post op primarily. When used properly and not addictively, it improves mood, mobility and healing
Antibiotics ae way overused but when used appropriately can save life and limb
Not the Pill, which, btw, is meant and depended upon for chronic use
Thanks for your comments.
We’re going to disagree here, but I do see a place for birth control pills.
If you wish to view it as uncalled for, that’s okay with me. I don’t buy into that mindset.
Plenty of us agree to disagree.
We’re not wacky liberals, after all.
LOL, good. Thanks Stanne. You take care...
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