A girlfriend of mine recently found this article on Natural Family Planning (NFP) and the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) online and sent it to me. She sent it to me because all of my (mostly non-Catholic) friends know that I think fertility awareness is one of the coolest, most-empowering things ever.
They have all heard me go on and on about how great this is to the point of getting annoyed and, in some cases, offended because I seemed to be denouncing their own birth control choices. Be that as it may, Taking Charge of Your Fertility changed my life. I thought I was relatively savvy about fertility before I read that book, but there were so many things I was wrong about. For example, I more or less believed that a woman with a relatively regular menstrual cycle always ovulated on Day 14, which is a common myth spread by the totally-debunked and ineffective "Rhythm Method."
For better or worse, I seem to be on a personal crusade to, if not necessarily convert people, at least let others know that a totally natural, scientifically-proven, do-able, 98%-effective method of avoiding or achieving pregnancy is out there.
Like the author of this article, I am amazed that this stuff isn't taught in 8th-grade health class. I am even more amazed, and, to be honest, outraged, that it isn't even taught in MEDICAL SCHOOL.
Natural Family Planning (which, unlike the mostly-identical Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), requires abstinence during the woman's fertile phase), is, of course, the only birth control method sanctioned by the Church. This is one area where the Church is actually way ahead of the game, I think... I'd be willing to speculate, that, at least in the part of the world I come from, the average practicing Catholic woman knows more about how her body works than the average non-Catholic woman simple because she has been taught about NFP.
It's very interesting that for the most-part people who use natural family planning methods are either very "conservative" religious folks or very "progressive" feminist-types who love all things "organic." (Or, in some cases, a bit of BOTH.) I think this is fantastic, and that we should all be looking into what it truly means to live life in a "radical" way.
Comments
I totally agree with the author. So many women are clueless about their cycles/body that it’s almost dangerous. What is even more dangerous is how unaware many of these women are about the pill and the effects it has on their body. I know that NFP is not for everyone, but I think every woman should be aware of the natural birth control option. When I decide to have kids using NFP, and if I have daughters, I will be teaching them about their cycles.
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