Dr Arnaot asks what family planning advice can be given following the
Durham, N Carolina study.
* Couples should be advised that they cannot safely make any
calculation of a fertile time based only on a calendar calculation of the
day number in the cycle.
* Couples should be advised of the correct way to observe, record
and interpret the long-established means of identifying the fertile part
of the cycle - the cervical mucus, the temperature, and the changes in the
cervix itself. They should also be advised of the availability of, and
the limited usefulness of, the other secondary signs of fertility.
* Couples should be provided with a qualified source of advice and
supervision during the early cycles of learning and applying this
methodology.
To put that another way, couples should be referred to qualified
Natural Family Planning teachers, who will have been doing all this
routinely for many years!
If practitioners do not already have contact details for suitable NFP
teaching organisations, may I refer them to the resources section of the
Natural Family Planning website at http://www.aldred.demon.co.uk/nfp/- I
cannot claim that this website is absolutely comprehensive as its
compilation has been a spare-time activity, but it is at least a good
starting point.
Rapid Response:
Re: What Family Planning advise then?
Dr Arnaot asks what family planning advice can be given following the
Durham, N Carolina study.
* Couples should be advised that they cannot safely make any
calculation of a fertile time based only on a calendar calculation of the
day number in the cycle.
* Couples should be advised of the correct way to observe, record
and interpret the long-established means of identifying the fertile part
of the cycle - the cervical mucus, the temperature, and the changes in the
cervix itself. They should also be advised of the availability of, and
the limited usefulness of, the other secondary signs of fertility.
* Couples should be provided with a qualified source of advice and
supervision during the early cycles of learning and applying this
methodology.
To put that another way, couples should be referred to qualified
Natural Family Planning teachers, who will have been doing all this
routinely for many years!
If practitioners do not already have contact details for suitable NFP
teaching organisations, may I refer them to the resources section of the
Natural Family Planning website at http://www.aldred.demon.co.uk/nfp/- I
cannot claim that this website is absolutely comprehensive as its
compilation has been a spare-time activity, but it is at least a good
starting point.
Competing interests: No competing interests