This is an issue I've been passionate about for many years now. I originally researched NFP and artificial birth control for religious reasons. However, the research I did then is what led me to become an environmentalist! I was doing some reading on the effects of artificial birth control on a woman's body and decided that it just wasn't a very healthy option for me. If you Google studies for the side effects, you don't end up with pretty results. I then came across an article on the effects of artificial hormone contraceptives that have been peed out by humans and are now in our rivers and other water systems. They are destroying the ability of water life to reproduce! Here are a couple of studies on the issue:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...151ed644c7f9c8
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...strogen04.html
Natural Family Planning has come a very long way since the days of the Rhythm Method! There are many methods to choose from now: Taking Charge of Your Fertility, Billings Ovulation Method, Creighton Model, Couple-to-Couple League, Northwest Family Services, Marquette Method, Family of Americas Ovulation Method. Some of those sites that have more information on the different methods do promote some religious things, but that doesn't affect the science behind the methods. For most of the methods you can play around on the sites and find the research that went into the development of the different rules for each. Here is some research behind the Billings and Creighton Methods:
http://www.woomb.org/bom/science/ovarian.html
http://www.woomb.org/bom/trials/index.html
http://www.creightonmodel.com/references.htm
http://www.creightonmodel.com/ask.htm
Anyway, I'm just asking for people to look into it as an option. I was surprised that there weren't more NFP related discussions in the Family Planning forum. It's been a wonderful experience for us to work together to allow my body to work as nature intended. We used it for 6 months to conceive our son, and then used it for 16 months after his birth to avoid another baby. Yes, it has been difficult at times, like when I was postpartum and breastfeeding. We had to stay in close contact with our instructor for extra help with charing my return to fertility. I also have a fertility condition that causes long, irregular cycles. However, the extra effort on our parts was worth it in the end because we knew I was healthier for not taking the artificial contraceptives, and so was the environment! It just makes sense that this would fit in with other ways of NFL. It's such a breath of fresh air to allow my body to work naturally! Just remember, that if you do choose NFP, that you need to work with an instructor and to follow the rules strictly. If you don't truly understand the rules, or if you bend them a little, it's similar to skipping pills if you're on birth control pills.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...151ed644c7f9c8
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...strogen04.html
Natural Family Planning has come a very long way since the days of the Rhythm Method! There are many methods to choose from now: Taking Charge of Your Fertility, Billings Ovulation Method, Creighton Model, Couple-to-Couple League, Northwest Family Services, Marquette Method, Family of Americas Ovulation Method. Some of those sites that have more information on the different methods do promote some religious things, but that doesn't affect the science behind the methods. For most of the methods you can play around on the sites and find the research that went into the development of the different rules for each. Here is some research behind the Billings and Creighton Methods:
http://www.woomb.org/bom/science/ovarian.html
http://www.woomb.org/bom/trials/index.html
http://www.creightonmodel.com/references.htm
http://www.creightonmodel.com/ask.htm
Anyway, I'm just asking for people to look into it as an option. I was surprised that there weren't more NFP related discussions in the Family Planning forum. It's been a wonderful experience for us to work together to allow my body to work as nature intended. We used it for 6 months to conceive our son, and then used it for 16 months after his birth to avoid another baby. Yes, it has been difficult at times, like when I was postpartum and breastfeeding. We had to stay in close contact with our instructor for extra help with charing my return to fertility. I also have a fertility condition that causes long, irregular cycles. However, the extra effort on our parts was worth it in the end because we knew I was healthier for not taking the artificial contraceptives, and so was the environment! It just makes sense that this would fit in with other ways of NFL. It's such a breath of fresh air to allow my body to work naturally! Just remember, that if you do choose NFP, that you need to work with an instructor and to follow the rules strictly. If you don't truly understand the rules, or if you bend them a little, it's similar to skipping pills if you're on birth control pills.
