BASIC FACTS ABOUT NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING: THE CALENDAR METHOD
The Calendar method is sometimes called the Rhythm method. It is based on the fact that most women ovulate between 12 and 16 days before a period begins. You use the calendar to work out when your period is likely to come, and then you can work out when you are likely to ovulate. If you do not have sex at that time you can avoid becoming pregnant.
How do you use the Calendar method? You will need to write down the length of each menstrual cycle for six months, or however long it takes you to have six cycles. A menstrual cycle is measured by counting the first day of a period as day one. The next day is day two. You keep on counting like that even when your period finishes. Count each day until your next period starts. That is one cycle. Write down the number of days in that cycle. When the next period starts, you start at day one again and count die days of that next cycle.
An average menstrual cycle is about 28 days, but your cycle may be only 21 days or it could be as long as 35 days (or even longer). This is usually nothing to be worried about, you just need to know what is normal for you. Some women will find they have cycles of different lengths from month to month. Most women will need to get some help from a Natural Family Planning specialist in working out their fertile days if they want to use this method effectively—but here’s a guide to how it’s done.
If you have sex during the time that you are recording the length of your cycles, you should use another method of contraception like condoms, or avoid having vaginal sex. You should definitely not be using the Pill, the contraceptive injection or contraceptive implant, because you do not have normal cycles while you are using a hormonal method of contraception.
At the end of six cycles you can calculate your fertile time. Write down the length of the shortest cycle. Let’s say it was 26 days. Now take away 20 from that number, in this case we’ve said it is 26, and that leaves 6.
Then write down the length of your longest cycle. Let’s say that was 30 days. Take away 10 from that number, we said it was 30, and we have 20. Look at the two numbers, 6 and 20. They mean that your unsafe days are from day 6 to day 20 of your cycle. So, some time between the sixth day after your period starts and the twentieth day after your period starts, you might be ovulating so it is not safe for you to have unprotected sex during that time.
Of course, you will not be fertile all that time, but you cannot be sure exactly when you are going to ovulate, so this covers you for most possibilities. Some other systems use slightly different numbers, and that is why it is best to go and see someone who has taught the method a lot and can explain it to you properly.
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