Dear Non-Zero Number People Who Have Written Me Impassioned Emails Recommending And Defending The Efficacy of Natural Family Planning (NFP) Methods & Apps That Letter Writer #969 Might Look Into:
There are enough of you that some joint reply seems efficient.
- This is exactly why I closed comments.
- Your recommendations are irrelevant to the Letter Writer’s situation.
- It’s great that you found something that works so well for you. May you have only the babies you actively want to have in this life.
- The Letter Writer wants an IUD or a tubal ligation. While your deep interest in her reproductive decision-making is noted, she has chosen the family planning methods that might work best for her situation.
- She has tried NFP before and already knows about your preferred method/app/site/thermometer/product. She is also THE expert on how well a given method is likely to work for her and with her lifestyle.
- All of you suggested methods involving daily temperature-taking to track ovulation, sometimes with a chart and sometimes with an app to determine “safe” days (where unprotected sex was unlikely to lead to pregnancy). To make these methods work, you have to take your temperature daily, enter it into the app (or otherwise run the numbers) and negotiate with your partner to not have sex on those days. While wrangling four kids, including an infant. No doubt in your life everything works just perfectly, but to me, and more importantly for the Letter Writer, there seems to be a lot of room for human error and some pretty high consequences (baby #5, anyone?) to messing up.
- A long-term solution, like an IUD or an implant or contraceptive shot, has a high efficacy rate in preventing pregnancy and also delivers peace of mind and freedom from negotiating all of those steps… perfectly….every month….for every one of one’s remaining fertile years. IUDs can fail, and ectopic pregnancies are a small risk (which could then require a lifesaving abortion), but what they offer in exchange for this slightly elevated risk is the ability to control one’s own fertility without a delicate daily series of steps and without negotiating with a partner.
- “NFP is not that hard” “It just takes a few seconds to take your temperature” “Efficacy raaaaaaaates!” Cool story. It’s not that hard, for you. It just takes a few seconds, for you. The efficacy rates vs. the tradeoff risk of human error are worth it, for you. You should continue to use any contraception method you want to use, for any reason. NFP could be the greatest method ever with absolutely zero drawbacks for anyone, and the Letter Writer could still not want to do it for reasons of her own.
- And, why are you so up in this lady’s business, exactly? Why are you so threatened by the idea that she might make this decision on her own? One person with a uterus wants to get a tiny piece of plastic with some copper wire wrapped around it in her body and suddenly my inbox goes haywire with stranger-opinions about what that uterus-owner should do? Interesting.
- No, I’m not going to “set the record straight” or “give NFP a fair hearing” by linking all the stuff y’all sent me. This isn’t a newspaper and people who are interested in that can Google it.
- In closing, nunyabeezwax.
Yo, Letter Writer, I hope all is well. Sending love and hoping for many low-cost family planning services available where you are.
Signed,
Jennifer Women’s Rights Are Human Rights Contraception Is Great And You Should Choose Whatever Method Works For You Planned Parenthood Is A National Treasure Abortion is Necessary Healthcare Captain Awkward Leigh Peepas
CaptainAwkward.com 