Title: Summary
Course: Level 3 - Family Planning > Section: Natural family planning methods

In this Study Session, you have learned that:

- "Fertility awareness", also called periodic abstinence or natural family planning, means that a woman knows how to tell when the fertile time of her menstrual cycle starts and ends. This method can be used alone or in combination with other methods. Pregnancy is prevented or postponed by giving attention to natural reproductive events related to fertility except for LAM.
- Once a month, an egg is released from one of a woman's ovaries (ovulation) and can stay alive in the uterus for about 24hours. Men can always produce sperm cells, and these can survive in the female reproductive system for about two to five days after being deposited in the vagina during sexual intercourse. From a fertility point of view, women have periods of time during their cycle when they are unlikely to conceive, whereas men have no "safe period".
- The Rhythm Method is a method by which a woman calculates the fertile days of her menstrual period and the couple avoids vaginal sex, or uses temporary methods during the fertile time. Before relying on it, a woman records the number of days in each menstrual cycle for at least six months. the calendar/rhythm method works primarily by helping a woman know when she could become pregnant. The first day of monthly bleeding is always counted as day 1.
- The BBT method is a symptom-based method that relies on the woman's ability to notice a slight increases in her body temperature. There is a temperature rise of 0.2-0.5ºc following ovulation. The elevation in the temperature is as a result of hormonal changes that result in ovulation.
- The Cervical Mucus Method is a symptoms-based fertility awareness method. This method relies on the woman's ability to predict her fertile days by following the characteristics of cervical mucus. Around the time of ovulation cervical mucus becomes profuse, thin transparent, watery, and slippery.
- LAM is a temporary family planning method based on the natural effect of breastfeeding on fertility. LAM is effective as long as the mother's monthly bleeding has not returned, the baby is fully or nearly fully breastfed, and is often fed day and night, the baby is less than six months old.
- The Withdrawal Method is the withdrawal of the penis from partner's vagina before ejaculation also known as coitus interruptus and "pulling out.". This method is the least effective.