Natural planning 'as effective' as contraceptive pill
Taking the pill is as effective at preventing pregnancy as the natural planning method, researchers claim
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Wednesday, 21, Feb 2007 01:30
Using a natural family planning method to prevent pregnancy is as effective as the contraceptive pill, a new study has found.
The natural method, or symptothermal method (STM), involves couples identifying the woman's fertile phase by measuring her temperature and observing cervical secretions.
During this period they then abstain from sex or use other contraception.
German researchers studied data from 900 women who were part of a much larger study conducted between 1985 and 2005 by the German Natural Family Planning study centre of 1,599 women using STM.
They found that if the couples either abstained from sex or used a barrier method during the fertile period, the rate of unplanned pregnancies per year was 0.4 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively.
Commenting on the findings, lead author Professor Petra Frank-Herrmann of the University of Heidelberg said: "For a contraceptive method to be rated as highly efficient as the hormonal pill, there should be less than one pregnancy per 100 women per year when the method is used correctly.
"The pregnancy rate for women who used the STM method correctly in our study was 0.4 per cent, which can be interpreted as one pregnancy occurring per 250 women per year.
"Therefore, we maintain that the effectiveness of STM is comparable to the effectiveness of modern contraceptive methods such as oral contraceptives, and is an effective and acceptable method of family planning."
Professor Frank-Herrmann added that although it takes more time for women to engage with STM than the oral pill, learning the method is "usually no problem".
The research is published in the journal Human Reproduction today.