Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Apr
17
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“You Know That Really Doesn’t Work, Right?”
“You know that really doesn’t work, right?” – OB to mother after mother stated she and her husband planned to use Natural Flamily Planning to avoid pregnancy.
There are 39 comments to this post.
Michelle Wonacott had this to say,
Apr 17, 2012 @ 1:19 pm (Quote)
Totally insulting! NFP works wonderfully and has worked for my husband and me for almost 16 years! Most OBs and docs in general are completely ignorant and uninformed when it comes to understanding NFP, which is based on sound science and has been around for over 40 years!
[Reply]
Hate comments like this. You know what doesn’t work for me? Pretty much any birth control. I’ve been pregnant 4 times (2 live births, 2 miscarriages) and every time I got pregnant I was using contraception.
1st and 2nd pregnancies: the pill
3rd pregnancy: condom, which split so I got emergency contraception/ the morning after pill which ALSO didn’t work.
4th pregnancy: condoms again (I’m allergic to latex and it seems like non-latex condoms are more prone to splitting)
Have also been on the injection, which just makes me bleed for 6 weeks, have a week off then bleed for another 6 weeks.
Every person I’ve spoken to who has used NFP has said reat things about using it to plan AND avoid pregnancy. I’m just starting to learn more about it now, no thanks to the unhelpful family planning nurse I spoke to who didn’t have a clue about it and just said I cant do it because I’m still breastfeeding my almost 3yr old.
After so many kinds of birth control have failed me I have more faith in NFP than anything a doctor could give to me.
[Reply]
Jane Reply:
April 17th, 2012 at 2:30 pm (Quote)
You “can’t do it” because you’re still breastfeeding your almost-three year old? Well darn, no one told me that. I’ve used NFP while breastfeeding children age two and up four separate times.
**oy**
Yes, the signs may be less clear while breastfeeding, but with a toddler, they’ll probably be clear enough. Sheez.
If you have a Catholic hospital local to you, you can call and ask if they teach NFP, and they will give you actual facts. The local diocese will also know who teaches NFP. (They probably won’t ask or care if you’re Catholic.)
Good luck!
[Reply]
PetraStrider Reply:
April 17th, 2012 at 3:25 pm (Quote)
So true, although my NFP practicioner is devoutly Catholic she told me that word of mouth has sent a lot of Muslim women to her to help with getting pregnant. (NFP is much more affordable than other fertility treatments.) I think they’re happy to take anyone.
[Reply]
Melinda Reply:
April 17th, 2012 at 2:57 pm (Quote)
I love how many “health professionals” have no idea about female fertility and NFP! Taking Charge of Your Fertility has been a great resource for me! I haven’t finished reading it yet, but has already taught me tons!
[Reply]
Koyomi Reply:
April 17th, 2012 at 9:06 pm (Quote)
Seconding the love for TCoYF, even though it’s less helpful if you tend to be anovulatory/have PCOS/thyroid disorder. It’s fantastic as a beginner’s guide to how female fertility is supposed to work, so even if your body doesn’t follow standard operating procedure at least it can help you recognize what’s amiss.
[Reply]
genniemom Reply:
April 17th, 2012 at 6:23 pm (Quote)
*Testimonial* I prevented pregnancy for over two years using NFP(while breastfeeding),and intentionally conceived on my first cycle trying. I was obviously perfectly fertile during the time I was preventing. I love knowing so much about my body, and I’ve really gotten used to the rhythym of my cycle and when I’m okay to have sex. I find the charting fun, too.
[Reply]
So not having sex* anywhere near the time you’re ovulating causes pregnancy? And you’re board certified in… obstetrics and gynecology?
*Or not having unprotected sex.
[Reply]
Chelsea Reply:
April 18th, 2012 at 6:52 am (Quote)
I agree with you, but a little story here. My SIL got pregnant this way. She had charted for 12+ years, so she KNEW her charts. She had just had major surgery and was told not to get pregnant, so she was really trying to avoid pregnancy. They had sex about 1.5 weeks before and 1 week after ovulation. And now they have an adorable baby boy. 
Not to discount NFP. I think it’s great- better than anything else out there. We use it in spite of her experience. But the body can be tricksy.
[Reply]
By “doesn’t work” the doctor means “doesn’t make me any money, and besides, I only read three paragraphs about it in my obstetrics textbook about ten years ago. So I despise the Rhythm Method, but I still use the magical wheel that dates your pregnancy by assuming you ovulate on Day 14.”
See, Doc? *YOU* practice the Rhythm Method. Whenever you assign a due-date based on that wheel, you’re practicing Rhythm.
At least NFP has a scientific basis.
[Reply]
Melissa C Reply:
April 17th, 2012 at 5:07 pm (Quote)
This! OBs are the only ones using the Rhythm Method anymore.
[Reply]
Debbie Reply:
September 9th, 2012 at 12:09 pm (Quote)
YES, YES, YES!!!!! I argued with my OB (who, Lord love him, is a Catholic, NFP-trained doc!) for MONTHS. I showed him my charts, and he still used the stupid magical wheel. *facepalm*
[Reply]
Lisa Reply:
September 9th, 2012 at 12:34 pm (Quote)
…which is why I absolutely refused to give the date of my LMP with each of our kids at my initial OB appointments. I told the OB the date of when each child was conceived and forced them to give me due dates based on that. Miracle of miracles? Each child was born ON their due date based off ovulation. Hmmmm…could there be a connection???
[Reply]
I just wish docs would be open to learning more about NFP. I have to admit I was skeptical initially, but I opened my mind to learning more about it and am convinced it can be a great BC method, especially for women who cannot tolerate hormonal BC (and there seems to be a lot of women who can’t, myself included).
I don’t think it’s the right BC for me (heck, my infertility issues do a fine job preventing pregnancy), but it can be a great choice if you take the time to learn how to use it correctly and are committed to it.
[Reply]
Becky@GrowingUpNaturally had this to say,
Apr 17, 2012 @ 3:41 pm (Quote)
Maybe it doesn’t work for people who don’t fully understand it…or who don’t chart accurately…or who have unpredictable cycles…maybe. But otherwise, it sure works great!
[Reply]
genniemom Reply:
April 17th, 2012 at 6:27 pm (Quote)
NFP ‘predicts’ the cycle with scientific knowledge. Women with extremely irregular periods do find the rules more difficult to follow, but the irregularity is usually caused by a physical problem, and sometimes the problem can be corrected with nutrition or other natural remedies, and then the cycle will be more regular. A great book to check out is “Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition” by Marilyn Shannon. I learned so much reading it.
[Reply]
Robyn Reply:
April 18th, 2012 at 6:01 am (Quote)
I agree with genniemom. I never had “regular” cycles. They were regular-ish before I had children, but I’d always get confused and pick a random number whenever asked my average cycle length because they didn’t have a range.
I learned how to chart when I was breastfeeding, so my cycles were crazy out of whack. My cycles were anywhere from 26 days to 40+. Over time, I noticed that my temps would be crazy until about 2 weeks before I ovulated. Then they would get low and be consistent from day to day. My cervical fluid would start to follow the dry to sticky to creamy to eggwhite format.
[Reply]
As a woman that gets pregnant even THINKING about unprotected sex during her fertile period, I was able to use NFP for a year to space pregnancies. I’m getting “back into the saddle” with NFP while DH is deployed so we can space our next pregnancy a little bit.
[Reply]
we use basic common sense here, im allergic to latex other rubbers and plastics dont agree with me, hormonal contraceptives make me… hormonal… yet we havent ever gotten pregnant when we dont want to, the second we decide to be less careful has resulted in 2 gorgeous boys (although the first took a while as i had no period for about 6 months) if that works for us i dont see how the more scientific methods of NFP wouldnt work, every woman should have a good knowledge of her cycle anyway
[Reply]
No method ‘works’ if you use it wrong. If you take the pill once a week… it doesn’t ‘work’.
No method (except abstinence) ‘works’ with a 100% effectiveness rate. Even if you use the pill correctly you may still get pregnant.
See? Your favorite method doesn’t ‘work’ like magic either, lady. Get over yourself and let me learn to use my preferred method correctly with my next care provider.
[Reply]
Jen Reply:
April 17th, 2012 at 8:20 pm (Quote)
Heck, even sterilization* isn’t 100%. There’s a woman in my local mothers of multiples club who got pregnant with quads (!) 7 years after a tubal. Boy, was she surprised.
*assuming no organs were completely removed
[Reply]
NFP would never work for me as birth control, I know when I’m ovulating because it also happens to be when I want to have sex most, lol. But if it works for other people, no need for judgment, especially from a effing nurse….
I’m convinced that all the crap we get about birth control methods has to do with money, because I’ve had many many practitioners try to talk me into the Mirena over the Paragard. there are zero Paragard posters in their offices, but borchures, posters, models and notepads plastered with Mirena stuff. Plus, Mirena has to be replaced twice as often…. coincidence? I think not. So women who use the completely free kind are bound to be bullied about it.
[Reply]
I have PCOS as well as long and irregular cycles and started using NFP to understand my body. I learned SO MUCH and feel so much more empowered and aware, and perhaps more than anything, comfortable understanding that my body may not be textbook, but it is doing its own thang which is normal for ME. My husband and I charted for a year to get the hang of it while using the system to prevent pregnancy. Then, when we decided we were ready to conceive, I was able to get pregnant, twice on the first try. So I’m a huge advocate for it, ESPECIALLY for those of us who don’t have regular cycles. I view it as a tool for supporting women to understand their own health and as a method that has great benefits for achieving and preventing pregnancy without hormonal intervention.
[Reply]
This is mine too, and the same OB as this story: http://myobsaidwhat.com/2012/04/17/you-should-have-had-an-iv/
Needless to say, I switched care providers and found a wonderful CNM at a different hospital who knew NFP and respected my choice to use it. Also, my husband and I have been using NFP since 2003 to both achieve and postpone pregnancy — which is exactly what I told this OB.
Oh, and did I mention she said this to me when I was still in the hospital, two days postpartum, and she WOKE ME UP to ask what birth control I wanted? My first thought was, “The baby is sleeping so LET ME SLEEP TOO and we’ll worry about the damn bc later!”
Incidentally, I now see a wonderful OB (had to change again due to moving out of state) who said, when I told him we used NFP, “That’s great you know your body so well.”
[Reply]
Add Your Comment.
Previous Post
« “This Is What Your Husband Is For…” Next Post
“Try To Lay Off The Carbs & Let’s Shoot For A Baby In The 7lb Range.” »
« “This Is What Your Husband Is For…” Next Post
“Try To Lay Off The Carbs & Let’s Shoot For A Baby In The 7lb Range.” »
Well it sure as heck works for making them! Why wouldn’t it work for not making them? (Them being babies.)
[Reply]