Can fertility awareness methods be used to avoid pregnancy?
Fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) are absolutely effective for both achieving or avoiding pregnancy, depending on a person’s family planning goals. There are different types of FABMs that have differing levels of efficacy. The FEMM method uses LH testing + cervical mucus to determine the time of fertility each cycle. This method has a 92-98% efficacy.
Certain FABMs, such as the calendar/rhythm method, are not as effective for avoiding pregnancy. This method is based off of an assumption that you will ovulate around the same day each cycle, in the middle of the cycle. The “cookie cutter” cycle is 28 days, with ovulation occurring on day 14. This method may work for women who always have perfectly regular cycles, but will not be the most effective approach for women with irregular cycles. Additionally, certain circumstances, such as acute illness, may cause women who normally have regular cycles to have an abnormal cycle, thus making the calendar method ineffective.
These reasons are why methods that look at specific signs of fertility, such as cervical mucus and LH testing, will be much more successful. As a FEMM educator, I teach clients how to chart their cycles and observe the cues that their bodies give to allow them to know their time of fertility each cycle. This information can be used for family planning purposes, in either achieving or avoiding pregnancy.
Certain FABMs, such as FEMM, are extremely effective in helping couples avoid pregnancy, if desired. FABMs come with no health risks, like other methods of birth control do. Additionally, FABMs can be used to improve your health by giving you a greater understanding of your hormone levels and overall health.
Sources:
James Trussell, Contraceptive failure in the United States, 83 Contraception 397, 398 tbl.1 (2011).
Pallone, MD, Stephen R. and George R. Bergus, MD. Fertility Awareness-Based Methods: Another Option for Family Planning. Journal of Fertility Awareness-Based Family Planning. March-April 2009. Vol. 22 No. 2 . pp. 147-157.
Fehring, PhD, Richard J., M, Mary Schneider, MSN, APRN, and Mary Lee Barron, PhD, RN, NFP-BC. Efficacy of the Marquette Method of Natural Family Planning. MCN. November/ December 2008. Vol. 33 No. 6. pp. 348 - 354.
