NATURAL FAMILY
PLANNING
Other names: fertility awareness; rhythm method
WHAT IS NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING?
Natural family planning involves being able to identify the signs and symptoms of fertility during the menstrual cycle so you can plan or avoid pregnancy.
OVERVIEW
EFFICACY
76%
FREQUENCY
DAILY
EFFECT ON FERTILITY
NONE
BLOOD CLOT RISK
NONE
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING IS A TYPE OF NATURAL METHOD
Natural family planning belongs to a group of methods called natural methods. Natural methods of contraception include natural family planning, the lactational amenorrhoea method and the withdrawal (pull out) method. They are natural because they do not involve hormones, chemicals or manmade substances.
HOW DOES NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING WORK?
Natural family planning prevents pregnancy by calculating your 'fertile window' and avoiding sex or using barrier methods such as condoms on those days. The ‘fertile window’ is the day an egg is released from the ovary (ovulation) and the five days beforehand. Having sex (intercourse) during this time gives you the best chance of getting pregnant.
By only having unprotected sex on days outside of the fertile window it reduces the likelihood of an egg being fertilised. It’s important to remember that it's not an exact science and can take several months to learn effectively.
There are 3 different fertility signals you can monitor and record for natural family planning. These are:
The length of your menstrual cycle.
Daily readings of your body temperature.
Changes to your cervical secretions (cervical mucus).
It's best to record these measures together to give you a more accurate picture of when you're likely to be most fertile.
HOW EFFECTIVE NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING?
Typically, natural family planning is 76% effective at preventing pregnancy but can be more than 95% effective if done perfectly. Using a combination of natural family planning methods and using another method of contraception like a barrier method during your most fertile days makes this method more effective.
PERFECT USE*
95%+
Effective
Approximately 5 out of every 100 women in a year will experience an unintended pregnancy.
* Perfect use of a contraceptive method is when it is used correctly all the time.
TYPICAL USE*
76%
Effective
Approximately 24 out of every 100 women in a year will experience an unintended pregnancy.
* Typical use is what generally happens in real life. It takes into account human error e.g. You forget to track your cycle.
PREPARING FOR YOUR GP APPOINTMENT
TALKING TO YOUR DOCTOR
Get the information you need for an informed discussion with your doctor.
PP-UN-WHC-GB-0305 July 2025