So what exactly is Natural Family Planning?
There are TONS of methods used to prevent pregnancy, such as birth control, condoms, and IUDs. For a multitude of reasons, some couples dislike or cannot use certain contraceptives. Maybe you had a bad reaction to the pill or you’re allergic to latex. The method we’re here to talk about today is all natural. And that method is Natural Family Planning, or NFP.
NFP is the practice of tracking a woman’s fertility throughout all of its stages. She has to keep track of each day of her menstrual cycle, BBT, and changes in cervical mucus. By doing this, you can tell which days you’re fertile and which days you’re not. Pretty cool, right?! One challenge of the NFP method is that you need to be able to tell when you’re ovulating and how to tell. We’ll map it out for you.
BBT
Knowing the days of fertility is imperative to NFP. The 4-6 days of fertility are ovulation day and the fertile window, or the 5 days leading up to ovulation. One of the reasons why many women find NFP difficult is due to the fertility window. Ovulation day is easy to know, as some woman can physically tell and cervical mucus changes. But how are you suppose to know the fertility window?
That’s where BBT comes in. BBT is the temperature taken first thing in the morning. This is your lowest, baseline temperature. When a woman ovulates, BBT spikes by a degree or two. Being able to detect this subtle temperature change is what NFP is all about.
Cervical Mucus
Changes in cervical mucus must also be documented. There are certain “dry” spans (right after a menstrual cycle) and times with more mucus. Dry periods also occur right after “stormy,” dark mucus and right before the menstrual cycle. The type of mucus needed to get pregnant looks relatively similar to eggs whites and is kind of elastic in its texture. When this stage of mucus arrives, that means ovulation.
Challenges of NFP
Many couples find the NFP method to be difficult because tracking BBT is tiresome and challenging. Women must remain stationary in the morning and take their temperature first thing at a consistent time throughout the month. No sleeping in on weekends! On top of this, the spike in temperature is so small, it’s hard to catch.
So where do we come in? The iFertracker tracks BBT, and accurately. Using an advanced algorithm, we can predict ovulation AND the fertility window before they even happen. When using the NFP, this is a lifesaver. Using the iFertracker, there’s no more guess work about when the fertile window is. We’ll just tell you. It’s as simple as that.
The iFertracker also takes your temperature throughout the night to get your real BBT without the hassle of waking up at the same time every single day.
So tell us…have you tried the Natural Family Planning method? How did it work for you, before and after the iFertracker? We want to hear! Let us know in the comments section.
Just a disclaimer: Though the NFP is a great and natural way to avoid pregnancy, it is not 100% effective. If you are looking to completely avoid pregnancy, we suggest pairing the NFP with another form of contraception, such as a condom, especially since NFP does not offer protection against STIs.