Would You Teach Your Daughter About Natural Family Planning? or Just How Her Cyc

I don't really understand your question.

Family Planning is about having or not having babies, but what you're describing (info about ovulation and when to expect her period) is what I would consider basic information that every girl should learn about her own body - before she begins having her period.

My children are pretty young yet, but I plan on teaching them everything about how their body works. Information = power!

My girls are not going to believe the stupid stuff kids tell each other - that you 'can't get pregnant the first time' and that vaseline is as good as a condom (yes, I know personal cases of these, unfortunately!)

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Well....I have a son and I certainly intend to teach him that every time he has sex there is a possibility that he can *poof* be a daddy. So I will make sure he understands that and has a dozen condoms ready to go!

I really don't understand your question about "teaching Natural Family Planning" and then claiming you would never teach it as a form of birth control. ??? That's WHAT NFP is, after all.

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My sister read parts of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" with her daughter when she was 12 or 13, and it made a huge difference in how she understood and respected her body- she really got how all of these hormonal shifts work together. Also made her an instant resource with her group of friends, none of whom got pregnant as teens. I understand there's a version available for preteens now that would be a great read.

I only have sons, but based on my niece's experiences I'd definitely teach my daughter.

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Not until she wants children. There's a joke and I know enough friends in the situation to know there's some truth to it. This form of Birth Control used to be called the Rhythm Method...

What do you call people who use the Rhythm Method of Birth Control?

Parents!

This is not an effective method of Birth Control for many people and as a girl matures her cycle is not going to be regular. You are setting yourself up to be a Grandma sooner than intended if you introduce that bit of knowledge to soon as well as some of her friends and classmates. Stuff like this gets twisted and passed along. I remember, pullingout, standing up, saran wrap, all kinds of CRAZY stuff that people believed and passed around.

ADDED: Just saw your what happened, so it sounds like we are on the same place or close, I would be a little more conservative about,when to provide this knowledge, again, in the right context but never when it could be misconstrued and the information used incorrectly.

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Yes, but not as a method of birth control.

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Absolutely YES - and I have already taught my 22 year old DD everything about her cycles plus men and their wants vs. needs.....I will talk and talk and talk about it with her and tell her as much as I know....I might have gone overboard b/c my mother the nurse taught us nothing....which left us up to learning the facts from HS Biology and friends.

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There is a GREAT book called Taking Charge or your Fertility. It describes the various hormonal cycles in detail, as well as measuring not only your basal temp to find ovulation, but also understanding the consistency of vaginal fluids and what that means in terms of where you are in your cycle and the look and feel of the mouth of the uturus (I went to a feminist women's health center in college where you got to insert your own speculum and look inside with a mirror. Really interesting to know).

I do describe all methods to my daughters, BUT I think once they become sexually active, I would prefer that they use a more effective-for-forgetful-teenagers-method, like the pill or condoms. Also, young cycles are not always regular enough to count on this method.

PS: I used this book and method to BECOME pregnant. It worked like a charm.

http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Annive...

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Depends on the age of the child. To start? No. I think the basics are enough to process at 10 or 12. If she were a little older, probably, right along with other methods of birth control, dating, etc.

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I used NFP to get pregnant and as a birth control measure and would suggest it to anyone. The only thing I found really difficult was taking the waking temperature every am at the same time after I already had 2 kids and they would wake up at all hours. That's how we had baby #3 ; ) I'll tell my daughter about it, but as far as teaching it, I would suggest a class. I've already forgotten a lot of the "rules." My husband and I took a class when we were first married and it was so helpful.

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I think we should teach our daughters how their bodies work. I totally agree with that.
However, not everyone has regular cycles in order to be able to assume when ovulation will occur. That goes for getting pregnant or preventing it.
I discussed with my daughter and my son about how their bodies work. How the bodies of the opposite sex work. I also told them that if they have unprotected sex, they might as well assume it will result in a pregnancy and be prepared for it.
Sex=babies.

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I wouldn't teach my daughter simply because for some girls and women it takes a bit for their cycle to become regular enough to be predictable. Maybe wait until she's older.

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I will explain how her cycle works and then tell her how to access an OB when she needs birth control.

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Yup not as a birth control, but I wish my mom was more active about either giving me information about my body or else teaching it to me. It's not until after I got knocked up, that I really started to know my body. Which is pretty sad.

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Yes, most definitely!

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I think it is a perfectly acceptable idea at whatever age you feel your daughter is mature enough to benefit from the information. It sounds like you are intelligent and conscientious enough that your daughter will know that you are explaining to her how the biology of her body works and that sometimes cycles can change or be unpredictable, so that if she doesn't want to get pregnant she has to protect herself. I would also advocate, at the appropriate age, to teach her about condoms. Not just for birth control, but to protect her future reproductive health. People can walk around with any number of conditions that they may or may not know about that can be spread and may or may not be cured and might affect her reproductive health.

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Of course! I wouldn't teach it as birth control, but it's basic information that every menstruating female should know and I guess I'm kind of shocked that there are people out there who didn't learn this in health class. I went to Catholic school where we were taught next to nothing regarding reproduction but even I learned this along the way.

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I am glad to hear that you would not teach this as birth control. I would teach it to her to let her know how her cycle works but I wouldnt call it natural family planning because that inplies birth control or planning for a child. My cousin had to take a natual family planning class before she was allowed to be married in the catholic church. i was pregnant at the time and wanted to go to the class and point to my belly and say here's your natural planning lol, because there is no way I should have been ovulating when i became pregnant with my son (in fact because of my eating disorder i wasnt even having a period)

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Yes, it is a great idea to teach your daughter how her body works. However, NFP can be tricky, so I'm not sure that would be the best birth control option for a teenager (not sure how old she is). IMO, NFP works best when you're okay if you do get pregnant.

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I wish I had read taking charge of your fertility 25 years ago. What a great source of info. I don't have a daughter, but I may make my son read it so he has a clue about what REALLY goes on with a woman's body. Not to scare him, but so he has some respect and 'gets it" a bit better re. sex/responsibility/etc.

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I wouldn't call it NFP but basically how the female body works and what the cycle does. There would also be a session or two on birth control and how they work along with a trip to the OB. Every woman regardless of age should know how her body works and when she is ovulating.

Nice to see that you are thinking ahead.

The other S.

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I absolutely think you should teach your daughter the science behind her body! I was lucky and had a biology teacher who truly made our class understand and know everything about the male and female reproductive cycle. It doesn't seem many teachers do that anymore, outside of a college level class- so teach her!

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I think I will give my daughter the basic information and make sure she has access to the details including all types of birth control. Perhaps I will just give her a copy of Our Bodies, Ourselves or a similar book when she is a teenager. I got many detailed pamphlets when I hit puberty since my grandma was a school nurse (and very progressive for her generation). So far my grandmother, my mother and I have all been involved in reproductive health education in one way or another and I certainly hope my daughter follows along in that.

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I taught my daughter what the rhythm method was and why it was not a reliable way to keep from getting pregnant.

And I did teach her how her cycle worked.

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