Dean Olsen, Contributor
TWO YEARS after Cynthia and John Vivian were married, Cynthia gave up birth-control pills, but not because they wanted to conceive.
The Springfield, Ill., couple felt called by their Catholic faith to learn about, then try a scientific, yet seldom-used method for avoiding pregnancy - natural family planning.
Contraceptives are as close as the neighbourhood drug store. Everything from birth-control pills to condoms, patches and intrauterine devices are promoted on television and in magazines so spontaneous sex doesn't have to lead to a baby.
A FULFILLING CHOICE
But for the Vivians and others dedicated to natural family planning, the decision to abstain from sexual intercourse at certain times of the month - when specific physical signs indicate a woman is most likely to get pregnant - represents a fulfilling choice.
"I wish more people would give it a chance," said Cynthia Vivian, 32, who works at a golf course and teaches natural family planning (NFP), part-time through the Catholic Diocese of Springfield. "If they just could have a crystal ball and see the rewards - the bond between husband and wife - it would blow their minds and they would go with it in a heartbeat."
Cynthia and her 33-year-old husband, a national bank examiner, have been married almost nine years. They used the method both to avoid pregnancy and to get pregnant and they testify to the method's effectiveness. They have a 4-year-old son and a 13-month-old daughter - both the result of planned pregnancies.
VERY EFFECTIVE
When used correctly, the Billings Method is up to 98 per cent effective. But, it is estimated that only five to seven per cent of couples in the United States use non-artificial methods of birth control. Natural methods include the Billings Method, the inexpensive form of natural family planning taught by the diocese.
NFP isn't any more popular among Catholics who are told by church leaders that the use of birth-control pills, devices and surgical sterilisation are sins. Several public-opinion polls indicate a majority of Catholics in the United States disagrees with the Vatican's stand on contraception.
Cynthia Vivian and Donna Dausman, director of the Springfield Diocese's Office for Family and Youth Ministry, said they believe relatively few couples use NFP because of the effort it takes to learn the method and the lack of publicity about it.
"Everyone who uses NFP says: 'It's better for our marriage' or 'I know so much more about my body' or 'Our physical love life is better' and 'Communication is better'," Dausman said.
The Billings Method, also known as the ovulation method, is not the same as the 'rhythm method', the women said. Though much less effective than Billings at avoiding pregnancy, the rhythm method was promoted by the Catholic Church for decades until the 1970s, when research about the Billings Method first reached the United States.
The rhythm method incorrectly assumes that every woman has a regular, 28-day menstrual cycle in which an egg is released by the ovaries halfway through the cycle, Dausman said.
Couples using the Billings Method predict a woman's fertile time - which includes the days just before the unfertilised egg is released, the actual release (known as ovulation) and the life of the egg.
Couples determine the fertile period by filling out charts that note the presence and types of mucus at the opening of the vagina and how the consistency of the mucus changes. Couples learn about the mucus and other aspects of the menstrual cycle during classes and one-on-one talks with instructors.
ABSTAIN FROM SEX
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG), the vagina is relatively dry for a time after menstruation. Then, a sticky mucus appears. The mucus becomes wet and slippery just before ovulation, and the last day of wetness, called the 'peak day', usually coincides with ovulation.
Couples not wanting to get pregnant should abstain from sex during the fertile time - when the mucus appears and for four days after the peak day, according to ACOG.
The fertile period lasts, on average, 10 days each month, Dausman said. Couples also should abstain from sex during menstruation because the mucus, which helps sperm survive in the uterus, still can be produced during that time.
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