Rhythm Method

Larissa Hirsch

What Is It?
The rhythm method is a way to prevent pregnancy by not having sex around the time of ovulation (the release of an egg during a woman's monthly cycle).
Couples who do want to have a baby can also use this method to have sex during the time that they are most likely to conceive. It is sometimes called natural family planning, periodic abstinence, or fertility awareness.

How Does It Work?
If a couple doesn't have sex around the time of ovulation, the woman can't get pregnant. The trick is knowing when ovulation happens. Couples use a calendar, a thermometer to measure body temperature, a kit that tests the thickness of cervical mucus, or a kit that tests for ovulation. The ovulation kits are more useful for couples who are trying to get pregnant.
The fertile period around ovulation lasts 6 to 9 days and during this time the couple should not have unprotected sex.

How Well Does It Work?
The rhythm method is not a reliable way to prevent pregnancy for most people. Over the course of 1 year, as many as 25 out of 100 typical couples who rely on the rhythm method to prevent pregnancy will have an accidental pregnancy. Of course, this is an average figure, and the chance of getting pregnant depends on whether a couple uses one or more of the rhythm method tools correctly and consistently and that they do not have unprotected sex during the fertile period.
In general, how well each type of birth control method works depends on a lot of things. These include whether a person has any health conditions, is taking any medications that might interfere with its use, whether the method chosen is convenient - and whether it is used correctly all the time. In the case of the rhythm method, it also depends on how consistent a woman's ovulatory cycle is and how accurately a couple keeps track of when she could be ovulating.

Protection Against STDs
The rhythm method does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Couples having sex must always use condoms along with their chosen method of birth control to protect against STDs. Abstinence (not having sex) is the only method that always prevents
pregnancy and STDs.

Who Uses It?
The rhythm method is not a reliable way to prevent pregnancy for most people. It is often very difficult to tell when a woman is fertile, and she can conceive for up to 6 days before she ovulates to 1 or 2 days after.
Teens often have irregular menstrual cycles, it makes predicting ovulation much more difficult. The rhythm method requires a commitment to monitoring body changes, keeping daily records, and above all not having sex during the fertile period. Couples often need to practice for months to get this method right.

How Do You Get It?
For couples interested in this method, it is best to talk to a family doctor. He or she can then teach the couple the skills they need to know to practice the rhythm method accurately.

How Much Does It Cost?
The tools needed for the rhythm method - such as ovulation detection kits and thermometers, for example - are available in drugstores but can be expensive. Again, it's best to talk to a family doctor for advice on using this method.
[AAFP]