Heather Franke, of Ann Arbor, Mich., wanted to find a better form of birth control, one that wouldn't fill her body with chemicals or hormones and one that wouldn't send her searching for contraptions in the middle of making love. Most of all, she wanted to find something that was natural. For many couples like the Frankes, pills and condoms are not the answer to controlling family size. Instead, they turn to an often-misunderstood method called natural family planning (NFP).

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), there are two methods of natural family planning. The first method is based on ovulation. A woman practicing this method of natural family planning examines her cervical mucous every day in order to discover changes that are indicative of ovulation. When those changes occur, the couple knows to avoid intercourse.

The second method is called the symptothermal method and is arguably the more effective method. Here, a woman checks and records her temperature every morning, looking for the slight rise that occurs at ovulation. She also examines and notes any changes in cervical mucous.

Both methods are effective at preventing pregnancy. The AAFP places that effectiveness at as high as 98 percent. But it is important to stress that to achieve this level of pregnancy prevention, natural family planning must be learned from an experienced instructor and must be done properly.

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