Natural family planning: Correcting the myths is everybody’s business! (Part 1 of 2)

Manning a clinic is something I am used to, that is-medical clinic. But Natural family planning clinic? Now, that’s something new for me, a far cry from my sub-specialty which is Pulmonary Medicine. But after I joined the Doctors’ for Life last June this year, I found myself volunteering my services to help set-up a Natural Family Planning (NFP) Clinic in San Pablo Parish.

This aims to train couples to be equipped in Natural Family Planning, for them to be able to teach also couples in the Parish level up to the GKK level. This is an ongoing project of the Archdiocesan Family and Life Apostolate under Fr. Orly Angelia (FLA Director). Last week, a seminar was held on NFP and I was asked to give the introductory talk. For this, I am indebted to the slides of Dra. Eleanor Palabyab, the National President of Doctors for Life, and to the book “Life, Love and Family” by Angelita Miguel-Aguirre, M.D. of Human Life International Asia.

Natural Family Planning is not Contraception. Natural Family Planning is also NOT a Catholic Contraceptive. Contraception involves an intervention in either the body or the act itself to prevent an act of sexual intimacy resulting in fertilization. NFP involves abstaining when an act of love might result in fertilization. NFP in the Christian and Catholic concept is never presented as just a method, but a responsibility, a way of life.

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT NFP

Myth: When trying to avoid pregnancy, contraception is more effective than using Natural Family Planning.
Fact: Evidence-based studies have shown that the three methods of NFP (Symptothermal, Billings and Creighton), are at least 97-99% effective per year when the rules are followed to avoid pregnancy. That compares favorably with most methods of contraception.

Myth: NFP is the same thing as the Rhythm Method; it doesn’t work.
Fact: The contemporary evidence-based methods do not rely on regular cycles, instead they are based on the woman identifying and interpreting signs and symptoms of infertility, the potentially fertile window and ovulation during the cycle, no matter how irregular. The Rhythm Method was a primitive form of calendar calculations which assumed that all women ovulated on Day 14 and had 28 day cycles. Thousands and thousands of cycles have shown that to be as grossly inaccurate, hence its failure rate.

Myth: NFP has a lower continuation rate than contraceptive methods of birth control.
Fact: NFP methods have a higher continuation rate than any form of reversible contraception. Annual continuation rate of: Spermicidals 42%; Condoms 53%; Diaphragm 57%; Pill 68%
Annual continuation of main forms of NFP: Symptothermal Method 92.5%; The Billings Ovulation Method 99.5%; Creighton Model 89%

Myth: There is no difference between the relationships or the divorce rate of couples using contraception and those practicing Natural Family Planning (NFP).
Fact: At present the divorce rate in Australia is 40%. Countries with widespread use of contraceptives have a divorce rate of 30-50%; Studies of couples who use NFP have shown a divorce rate between 0.2 and 3%. It is interesting to note that Catholics who do not use NFP have divorce rates similar to those of the general population. The low divorce rate may be due to a higher motivation and commitment on the part of couples who choose an abstinence method, but may also be due to the effect of abstinence in each cycle, which keeps the couple interested in each other and makes them develop ways of expressing love, not dependent on sexual intimacy.

It may also be due to the fact that the method of family planning is a shared responsibility. In contraceptive methods, often the female partner takes sole responsibility and she also bears the burden of any adverse health effects, including effects on libido.

Some women complain that when on contraception their sense of self worth is diminished and their need for space is not provided for.

The understanding that they are constantly available may cause resentment and a feeling of being used. The responsibility of parenthood having been removed through contraception, sexual self control is not as necessary and self-centeredness may be more likely. There is no obligation to express love in sexual intimacy; and responsibility in spacing children is a reason not to do so at a potentially fertile time.

In doing so the couple can seek to preserve the full meaning of their love at other times knowing that they have done nothing to interfere with their procreative health or the act itself.