sexandsensibilities.com

Re-posted from Female Network.

Brush up on natural family planning 101 by learning about these 5 non-invasive methods. By Myra Mortega

The recent deprioritization of the RH Bill places the spotlight once again on the use ofcontraceptives. However, women shouldn’t be left in the dark about their options while waiting for the administration to finish its dialogue with the Catholic Church.

After all, women can still lower the chances of unwanted pregnancy without the use of contraceptives. Natural birth control methods give women a chance to get to know their body better and be in tune with its physical changes.  And unlike modern contraceptive methods, being aware of natural family planning techniques can actually increase your chances of pregnancy once you finally decide to have a baby.

But keep in mind that, in order for these methods to work, you and your partner should fully commit to these methods and follow them without fail. International organization FHI reports that there’s “a high failure rate” if couples are not very keen in following instructions to the letter, so take the time to sit down and talk to your partner about it. Also, these don’t protect you from contracting sexually transmitted diseases, so it’s best discuss this with your partner as well. However, these present a viable option for couples who wish to take the natural route in preventing pregnancy.

(Photo by pedrosimoes7 via Flickr Creative Commons)

1. BASAL BODY TEMPERATURE METHOD(BBT)

Generally speaking, a woman’s body temperature spikes a bit just after ovulation.Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health states that body temperature “rises slightly to about .2 degrees Celsius or .4 degrees Fahrenheit after ovulation.” This method makes use of this fact and entails meticulous temperature observations. Users of this method should take their temperature upon waking up every morning. The temperature is then recorded and plotted in a graph, so that a slight increase in temperature is easily noticed.

Days to avoid: Couples should avoid intercourse from the end of the menstrual period until three days after the temperature increase.

Risk: Ovulation is not the only factor that causes temperature increase. Temperature readings can also be affected by certain conditions (like inability to sleep properly) or sickness (such as fever).

Failure Rate: This method is often confused with the Symptothermal Method. With perfect use, the BBT has a failure rate of 2 percent, while typical use shows a failure rate of 15 percent.

(Photo souce: sxc.hu)

2. THE OVULATION/CERVICAL MUCUS METHOD

As the name suggests, this method focuses on mucus secreted by the cervix. Users have to check regularly for mucus–like the Basal Temperature Method, this requires attention to detail. Women who want to use this method are encouraged to keep a calendar that charts the days of their period as well the days before and after, taking special note of the color and consistency of their vaginal mucus. Usually, the vagina gets dry right after menstruation, but becomes wet and slippery before ovulation. During the peak day of the ovulation process, the mucus becomes thick and, while this may sometimes go away, but the feeling of dryness comes back during the onset of menstruation.

Days to avoid: Since women are fertile during the ovulation period, couples should avoid having sex when the woman secretes mucus, up until four days after the peak day.

Risk: The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) claims that there are cases when mucus is still produced during menstruation, making a viable environment for sperm to live in. Vaginal infection, sexual excitement, and lubricants also factor in mucus productions, so those are things that users have to watch for.

Failure Rate: According to Epigee.com, this method is not as reliable as other birth control methods and has an average failure rate of 20 percent.

(Photo knuton via Flickr Creative Commons)

3. SYMPTOTHERMAL METHOD

4. CALENDAR/RHYTHM METHOD

5. LACTATIONAL AMENORRHEA

        

By Ana Santos

Original article can be viewed on SPOT.ph.

Early Saturday morning on March 19, hundreds of rallyists holding up yellow placards, wearing purple bandanas chanting, “Ibasura! Ibasura!”  converged at the entrance of Ayala Alabang Village.

They were holding a demonstration to protest Alabang Barangay Ordinance #1 entitled, “Protection of the Unborn Child” which was set for public hearing that day. It certainly was not a scene that you see every day in the posh village of Ayala Alabang.

Alabang Barangay Ordinance #1 entitled, “Protection of the Unborn Child” prohibits the sale, promotion and the sale of condoms, birth control pills and other forms of modern contraception without a doctor’s prescription.  Even with a prescription, the drugstore must record the name of the buyer and the details of the purchase in a logbook.

Under the ordinance, condoms, contraceptive pills, and intra-uterine devices are labeled as “abortifacients,” and also prohibits the teaching of sex education within the barangay, unless there is parental consent.

The ordinance enraged many of the residents and various pro-RH sectors who condemned the attempt at legislating morality and referring to the posh village as “Alabangistan, the new stronghold of the Catholibans.”

The village itself has been divided into two warring camps; with their frontline being defined by banners on their front gate, declaring their stand on the issue.  Some declare their support for the ordinance crying the need to protect life, while others condemn religious bigotry.

Aurora Pijuan, Convenor of Gising Barangay Movement in Ayala Alabang said that the issue is divisive.  “Friendships are on the line and you really feel the tension. People ask if you are pro (ordinance) or anti. There’s no in-between. We don’t respect other people’s beliefs.”

The auditorium of De La Salle Zobel was the venue of the public hearing where the two sides presented their arguments for and against the ordinance to the Barangay Council. At the entrance, there were two different lines for registration and the entrances to the auditorium were labeled “pro” and “anti.” The seats were inside were divided by a rope in the middle.

24 Oras report

The Likhaan Center for Women’s Health brought in residents from the various communities that they serve to protest. “This is not an ordinance that affects only Alabang. If passed, this could be replicated in other parts of the country,” said Junice Melgar, executive director of Likhaan. The rallyists were initially denied entry by the village guards saying that only residents or their guests could enter. “One foreigner walking her baby, who we did not even know, saw us and told the guard that our community members were her guests. Otherwise, we would not have been let in,” said Melgar.

Evelyn, a Likhaan community worker who came all the way from Pasay to watch the proceedings said, “Apektado din kami dito. Apektado tayong lahat. Kung mapaisatupad ito at gayahin sa ibang barangay, papaano na lang kaming mga babae?”

Heated debates
“People have called us idiots, zealots, archaic Talibans. But the one thing that we have not been called is anti-life and for that, we are proud,” said Atty Luis Sison in his opening statement for the pro-side.

The “anti” side stressed the unconstitutionality of the ordinance, saying condoms, pills, and IUDs in the legal market are all approved by the Food and Drug Authority, and no barangay has the authority to usurp mandates set by the national government.

“I am not less of a Catholic just because I oppose this. The ordinance is a clear usurpation of authority, declaring illegal things that are not really illegal,” Frank Chavez, a resource person for the anti-side emphatically declared.

“We should not be discussing the RH Bill here. We should leave that to Congress to decide,” he added.

Representatives of various government agencies such as the Food and Drug Authority, the Commission on Human Rights and the National Commission on Women were also present to reiterate the unconstitutionality of the ordinance and its violation of their mandates the government agency appointed to regulate food and drugs and uphold human rights.

It was a heated debate, one that the Barangay Council tried repeatedly to control with reminders not to clap, boo, shout invectives or display any other kind of incendiary behavior.

But that was too much to ask in a barangay that has already been clearly divided as seen by the banners on their homes right down to the rope that segregated the seats of the auditorium.

A resident who said that she is a devout Catholic who teaches her children the value of chastity and abstinence not because of a law, but because of her beliefs, angrily asked the Barangay Council, “What makes you think that a law that regulate my morality?”

“Why would you parents want your children—boys and girls my age—to buy condoms and pills without you knowing?” a young boy countered.

And perhaps the question that was on everyone’s mind that afternoon was the one asked by a clearly exasperated resident who asked anyone and everyone in the audience, “Has the ordinance even been passed? Because if it has, then what are we even doing here? Why are we discussing this?”

Others started piling out one by one shortly before the hearing ended, shaking their heads saying, “Nothing was resolved.”

In an interview, Barangay Captain Chairman Alfred Xerez-Burgos, Jr.  explained, “No, it has not been approved. This second public hearing was meant to discuss the pros and the cons of the ordinance. From here, the Barangay Council will deliberate on whether or not to pass or amend the ordinance. Then it will be presented to the City Council. No one is supposed to implement it yet.”

When interviewed and asked for a statement on whether or not the ordinance had indeed been passed, Barangay Captain Chairman Alfred Xerez-Burgos, Jr , he said, “No, it hasn’t been passed. This second public hearing was meant to discuss the pros and the cons of the ordinance. From here, the Barangay Council will deliberate on whether or not to pass or amend the ordinance. Then it will be presented to the City Council. No one is supposed to implement it yet.”

Footage of young man refused purchase of condoms in what Anti-Ordinance advocates call “Alabangistan”

“But they already are,” interjected a 27 year old male resident. Declining to be named, the resident said that he videoed through a hidden camera his attempt to purchase condoms at Mercury Drug Alabang Town Center.

“They [pharmacists] told me that it was prohibited, but only here in Alabang.”

There were also earlier reports of residents harassing pharmacists and admonishing them for selling condoms and pills which are supposedly already banned under the ordinance.

Former Department of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, who is also a resident or Ayala Alabang, corroborates this. “We received reports that residents were denied condoms. So we went to the drugstore and showed the pharmacists a letter from the Barangay Council saying that the ordinance had not yet been implemented. The pharmacists were relieved and said they would hang the notice in their store because there other residents—these Dona Victorina types—were harassing them.

“I have not heard of any such incidence. They should not be doing that,” said Burgos.

And so the fight continues, the divide becoming even deeper.

Photos by Igor Maminta and Arnold L. Vega

        

This article also appeared in Female Network, May 2010

If educational background and length of experience in the medical field are important to you, then take advantage of verifying the doctor’s credentials on websites like RXPinoy.com.

Where is his or her clinic, and what are its facilities?

Most doctors hold clinics in more than one hospital and have different timeslots for each. Check if the locations are easily accessible to public transportation or if parking is readily available. It’s also a plus if your doctor holds a clinic near your home or workplace or on your route home.

You may also want to check out the facilities available. Doctors with clinics in a hospital will frequently have access to the hospital’s women’s health center and its complement of facilities. However, if your doctor’s clinic is not in a hospital, you may want to find out if it has the necessary equipment for a full checkup in-house or at a nearby location so you don’t have waste time traveling between your doctor’s clinic and the facility where you can have tests done. For example, you should check if the clinic has an ultrasound—contrary to popular opinion, these are commonly used to examine non-pregnant women as well as pregnant ones!

Do the clinic hours fit in with your schedule?

This is really important because, while it may be tempting to wait till the weekend before going to the doctor, this may also be the time when most patients come in for a consultation. You might end up spending most of your weekend queuing for your turn. So you should try to get a doctor whose clinic hours often coincide with your free time.

If the doctor’s clinic is near your place of work and is open during the lunch hour, it’ll make it easier to slip out for a consultation during your midday break.

Can the doctor explain things to you in a way that is easy to understand?

The medical field is filled with big long words that to a non-doctor are not only alienating but sometimes also intimidating. Make sure your doctor is someone who is patient enough to break down medical jargon so as not to cause premature alarm.

“My pap smear showed abnormal cells which I was told might be indicative of pre-cancerous cells. I was referred to another procedure called a colposcopy for a biopsy. These words freaked me out, and I was really, really scared,” says Isabelle, 32.

“Thank god, my OB explained to me the other possible results of a pap smear. She  mollified me by saying that the ‘abnormal cells’ found in my pap smear were known to be one of the more benevolent findings when compared to others and the additional examination was just to be very, very prudent,” concludes Isabelle who says that this explanation, though lengthy, went a long way in putting her premature fears to rest.

You’ll want an OB-GYN who cares about your feelings, like Isabelle’s does, so she or he will lay any unqualified fears to rest. This is a very important quality to have because, should you have any conditions or diseases that need treatment, this type of doctor would be able to explain what’s going on, your options for treatment, and any repercussions in a way you can understand as well.

Is the OB-GYN reachable even after clinic hours?

If you’ve forgotten to take your pill and want to be doubly sure about not getting pregnant, or if you’ve engaged in unprotected sex and are worried it could have unwanted consequences, can your OB be reached by phone? More importantly, will he or she allow consultations during non-clinic hours?

Be careful about going overboard with the questions though, because you just might be surprised when you get the bill for your next consultation. Gigi, a birth plan consultant says, “Some doctors will charge you for consultations made through SMS or phone call. They’re less than actual face-to-face clinic consultations, but these can add up.”

For non-urgent questions, it may be better to wait for your next appointment. You should also use your appointment time to clear up any “what ifs” and “just in cases.”

Is the OB-GYN non-judgmental?

Theresa, an OB-GYN who asked that she not be named, admitted that because of her religious beliefs, she doesn’t do tubal ligations and simply refers her patients who request for this procedure to another doctor.

If it is important to you that your doctor not let moral beliefs influence her practice, then this is something that you might want to consider.  Ann, a 28-year-old bank employee, steered clear of such doctors when she was looking for a prescription for birth control pills because she was not married.

“I did ask one doctor point blank if she had a problem with prescribing pills to me seeing that I wasn’t married [in my chart], and she said that she had no problem at all with that. It was a great relief to me,” shares Ann.

Can you see yourself consulting this OB-GYN for a long time?

You’re going to need the services and expertise of an OB-GYN for a long time—ideally, from the time that you start becoming sexually active, all the way to your menopausal years. In case we weren’t clear at the start, you’ll need to see an OB-GYN regularly, and not just when you are pregnant! Look at your OB-GYN as your partner in sexual and reproductive health. So when you think of choosing an OB-GYN, as you would with a partner, pick one you can see yourself with for a long time.