Jes and Ian

In the defense of mucus…

Though I am sure many of you, if not all, are pretty much finished with the subject of Natural Family Planning, I thought that it would be silly to not speak to the subject since I am the woman in this relationship. It may sound somewhat nerdy, but quite frankly, I am of the mind that every woman should learn the principles behind NFP. Not only can you save yourself from spending hundreds of dollars on birth control methods, stop going to the doctor for completely natural conditions of your body, know you’re pregnant before you even skip a period, and minimize your exposure to a number of health risks (IUDs can cause uterine scarring, hormonal methods come with a number of possible risks including cardiovascular and increased infertility in older women to name only the bare minimum), you also get a much better sense of just what your body is up to and possibly recognize potential health concerns (like PCOS). Can you imagine being a teenage girl and knowing when you are at most risk of becoming pregnant? For some reason, I feel that that’s a moment of empowerment.

Abstaining or Waiting?

Though the principles behind NFP call for abstinence during one’s fertile phase, a similar birth control called the Fertility Awareness Method is exactly like NFP except for the use of barrier methods during the fertile phase. In other words, you’re not limited to waiting if you don’t want to. However, if one were to practice FAM, I think that you should consider the fact that most studies regarding the effectiveness of various forms of birth control occur over a woman’s entire cycle, i.e., even during those days when she is not fertile. So, instead of saying that a condom (without spermicides and used properly) is 96%* effective, it would be more like 81.6% effective since one has about an 85% of getting pregnant without birth control. Granted, I am not a statistician and I have not read all of the studies on the effectiveness of different forms of birth control, so I admit that my logic is somewhat faulty. For instance the 85% risk of getting pregnant is not saying that you are likely to get pregnant 85 times out of 100, but rather, that 85 woman out of 100 got pregnant when not using birth control over the course of one year. So, my calculation is more amateur than anything else. Regardless, with an effectiveness rate of ranging from 90-99%* when used correctly, NFP and FAM are worthwhile options for any woman even if she doesn’t have a husband to chart for her.

Of course…

*As with any statements about effectiveness, one needs to recognize who’s saying what and their investment in the product. I have not seen the studies that provide this statistical information first hand, and finding justifications of effectiveness rates used and the studies referenced for these rates can be difficult to find.

For the past month, Jes and I have been taking a Natural Family Planning class at St. Agnes Hospital.

There’s lots of talk about vaginas and cervixes and mucus and menstruation and cycles and hormones. That aside, it’s an amazing thing to go through with someone you love and trust as much as I love and trust Jes. Seriously. The things that you can live your whole, entire life not knowing about your body (or a woman’s body) will shock you. NFP (which also coincidentally stands for Natural, Free and Partnership.) was suggested to us by Father Peter while we were engaged in pre-cana. It’s the officially-sanctioned “birth control” method of the Catholic Church so he kinda had to bring it up. Who knew that it would be so interesting? Or free?

Care to not jack your wife up on hormones as if you were Frank Perdue?

I’ll tell you this for free…

Everyone knows that a woman’s body has a monthly routine. If not, they should catch up. Some of the natural science behind the cycle may not be so well known to the average person (or woman!). Once per month the pituitary gland secretes estrogen into the woman’s system prompting the release of an egg from the ovary. This egg has 24(!) hours to travel the inches separating the ovary from the uterus, and get fertilized by her man’s sperm, otherwise it will die and be passed from the body in a method we are all familiar with. A short time after the release of the egg, the body begins to prepare for the possibility of pregnancy and releases progesterone. The progesterone initiates a distinct rise in the basal body temperature. Because this very distinct point in time is critical to determining when a woman becomes fertile and for how long she will be fertile, monitoring the basal body temperature becomes imperative.

Let’s talk Mucus…

Along with charting the temperature to determine ovulation, it’s a good idea to also monitor the lubricative mucus secreted by the cervix. Since the egg can only live a relatively short period of time without being fertilized, the cervix aids nature in it’s chances of creating another person. While the ovary is busy producing the egg, the cervix begins to literally froth with a dense, clear mucus which will shelter and nourish sperm from the harsh pH of the vagina for up to seven days. The cervix also begins to dilate slightly and raises so that it’s opening is pointing almost directly at the mouth of the vagina. The cervix does a lot of the work in making a baby happen. Analyzation of this mucus is also a requirement of the method, wiping it from a tissue with your fingers, noting the color, the consistency and, yes, the stretchiness of it. The more clear and the more stretchy, the closer you are to ovulation and the better the chances that intercourse will lead to conception.

Now WE have a routine…

This is why every morning Jes wakes up momentarily at 6:30 and places an electronic thermometer into her mouth and charts her temperature. At the end of the month, the chart makes it very obvious on what day that egg burst through the ovary wall and started it’s day-long trip down to the uterus. And at least 15 times a month we have a chance to be truly intimate - no libido-compromising hormone additives, no latex, just me and my lovely bride.

And her cervical mucus.