The natural methods for the regulation of fertility and culture of life: teaching experience evaluation

Abstract

The teaching of Natural Methods for the regulation of fertility has been carried out so far almost 20 years at our Center and it was always been characterized by the lifestyle proposal to couples, rather than by a mere technique for fertility regulation. Acquiring the awareness of the value of own fertility through the natural methods, couples are above all stimulated to develop an attitude of respect and responsibility towards the new life they may engender. Furthermore, they are helped to grow up in the dialogue, the sharing and mutual respect.

Encouraged by the results of a previous research led in the year 1986- 1990, in 1993 we started a statistical multicentre study in order to evaluate the acceptability, effectiveness and diffusion in Italy of the Billings Method. 1730 data collection forms supplied by 160 teachers of the Billings Method, working in different Italian provinces were analysed. They corresponded to an amount of 9.361 menstrual cycles checked. 502 users showed interest in a simple knowledge of the Method, but they had not applied it as they were single or engaged and with no premarital intercourses. Of 1.228 users who had used the Method, 14.8% aimed at achieving a pregnancy, 55.5% at postpoining it and 29.7% at avoiding it. For 1.047 couples who wanted to postpone or to avoid pregnancy, the main stimulus for learning the Methods derived from a lay source in more than 50% cases and 40% of these couples had previous contraceptive experiences.

Satisfaction in the Method resulted to be good-excellent in 85% "old" users and in 60.4% "new" users and poor in 4.5% and in 8.9% respectively. The association with barried methods customary in only 20% cases and sporadical in 9.6% users.

The rate of Method discontinuous was 5.95%. These data show that a previous cantraceptive experience does not seem to affect the acceptability of the Natural Method and of the lifestyle that it requires. The effectiveness evaluation performed with the Pearl Index, modified according to the World Health Organization, evidenced 0 method related pregnancies, 3.7 pregnancies due to inadequate learning or teaching, 13.8 pregnancies for conscious choices.

Out of 66 a total of pregnacies, 19 (28.7%) were desired. The considerable number of pregnancies for conscious choice and of pregnancies deliberately to occur even in couples who wanted to avoid a pregnacy as an early motivation, highlights the progressive development in these couples of an attitude of openness toward life, which constitutes the greatest success of the Teaching of the Natural Methods.