hutch (02/16/83)
First, a personal aside to rabbit!jj - You take odds with the notion of papal infallibility based on the papal bull that condemns all methods of birth control. Well, I think that if birth control were subject to the doctrine (which doctrine I personally don't believe for other reasons) that you'd be right. To the best of my knowledge, as it was explained in the last discussion I has with a Catholic of reasonable education about his church, the doctrine of papal infallibility applies only to matters of the faith, that is, the pope cannot be a heretic. Birth control obviously cannot come under this heading, especially since Pope John (the most recent) ADVOCATED birth control of ANY kind, barring abortion only. The church position is now more strict, allowing only "natural" birth control. The subject of Roman Catholic birth control methods brought to mind the very useful method that is being taught by the RC Church in the underdeveloped countries of the world. It doesn't involve any kind of chemicals, drugs, surgery, or uncomfortable and questionable barrier devices. It's called "Fertility Awareness" and is based on the fact that there are THREE factors in human fertility: viability of sperm, viability of egg and (new info) viability of transport mechanisms. First, some information: The egg will survive only about 24 hours in the woman's body, then it dies. Sperm will survive at best only 5-10 minutes outside the human body (assuming it isn't frozen for later use) and in a nice dark slightly acidic vagina or uterus will survive at best a half hour to an hour. This would make it very unlikely that people could reproduce themselves. However, the cervix has these tiny folds and wrinkles (crypts) which secrete a characteristic mucus. This mucus is basically a sugary-proteiny (butchering the written language) stuff, which will keep sperms alive for up to five days. It also has a texture, which when examined under a microscope is either a blobby sort of maze, which acts as a barrier impeding sperms and any other microorganisms, or a stretched-out series of long channels, which act like a highway leading sperms directly up into the uterus. The mucus is secreted in response to the rising estrogen levels that are caused by a maturing egg (impending ovulation). The mucus is therefore a visible sign of fertility. Rather than detailing the charting method, which is taught at many hospitals (if you are interested, look for a hospital run by just about any group of Catholic nuns), I will give some of the estimates of effectiveness and some of the drawbacks. The method is 99% effective as contraceptive under lab conditions, dropping to 96% in practice. This is superior to the pill, which is given as 98% effective in lab and 94% effective in use. The researchers here (St Vincent's Hospital in Portland) have an experimentally unverified belief that the barrier methods owe their effectiveness to the natural fertility cycle, and that they are at best 68-75% effective otherwise. The drawback is that the woman must observe her own mucus each time she urinates or has a bowel movement, and that the method requires abstinence during potentially fertile times. This includes menstruation since menstrual flow can hide the mucus. The method is also useful as a way of determining the best times to get pregnant. Preliminary studies show that it has about a 79% chance for impregnation at each ovulation. It also provides an understanding for some "infertile" women of the underlying problems with their fertility. THIS IS NOT THE RHYTHM METHOD. This is important. All that the Rhythm method can tell you is that you have ovulated, not when you are fertile. Anyway, since this is net.women, I thought I'd publicise this relatively unknown birth control method. I hope someone out there can find it useful. It sure beats the pill, especially when medical problems make drugs even more dangerous than they usually are. Steve Hutchison
bmcjmp (02/22/83)
The name of the method described in the submission on natural birth control is the "Billings ovulation method". There is a book out on the subject, entitled, "THE PERSONAL FERTILITY GUIDE: How to Avoid or Achieve Pregnancy Naturally", written by Terrie Guay, and published by Harbor Publishing, Inc., San Francisco, CA, distributed by G.P. Putnum's Sons. It documents some of the work of Drs. Evelyn and John Billings on this subject, and gives a clear outline and explanation of the method. It makes a major emphasis on the need for communication between the man and woman using the method. Unlike other methods, this means of birth control places responsibility on both partners. It is a definite plus for people who cannot use the better known methods, or who find these methods a sexual turn-off. It also serves to help women become better aware of their own bodies. Even if you use a barrier method or the "pill", you will probably find the information on female physiology interesting, and perhaps even surprising. Barb Puder burdvax!bmcjmp