[count-your-change]

According to an article in WebMd NFP has a failure rate of about 25% during the first year typically and about 8% if practiced carefully.

Only no efforts at all is higher.

[JCBreckenridge]

[[citation needed]]

[Brian Kopp DPM]

British Medical Journal/ Loyola University ^ | R.E.J. Ryder

Posted on Monday, December 10, 2001 10:49:06 PM by Brian Kopp DPM

British Medical Journal, Sept 18, 1993 v307 n6906 p723(4) 

"Natural family planning": 
Effective Birth Control Supported by the Catholic Church
 R.E.J. Ryder. 

Abstract:
    Natural family planning, when used by motivated couples, is a safe and cost-effective means of birth control. Natural family planning, which involves teaching women to recognize signs of ovulation and to avoid intercourse on fertile days, is the only method of birth control approved by the Catholic Church. A total of 869 women of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds participated in a study conducted by the World Health Organization. Regardless of literacy and culture, 93% of the women were able to recognize the changes in their cervical mucus associated with ovulation. Other studies have emphasized the importance of good initial teaching and the motivation of the woman practicing the method. A failure rate of 0.2 pregnancies per 100 women was found in a study of 19,843 women in India. 

[Brian Kopp DPM]

I don’t trust your WebMD source.

My wife and I taught NFP for 10 years. Over that time, we taught many couples then followed up with them long term to help them with charting and interpreting charting. NFP was about 96 - 98% effective for those who were following it correctly/carefully. Most of the pregnancies occurred when the couple knew they were taking chances.

[dangus]

I’m aware of how evil WebMD’s coverage is. They refer to simply abstaining on the day they guess the woman is ovulating. That is NOT modern Natural Family Planning. And even still, the sponge and spermicide (alone) are both higher failure rates.

Don’t think that WebMD is run by zealots? In their article about hormone replacement therapy, they note that depression is a side-effect of estrogen. But make no mention of it at all in the context of estrogen-based birth control pills.