Natural contraception (found 44 titles)

Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health

Author: Toni Weschler
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Publication date: 2006-11-01
ISBN: 0060881909
Pages: 512
Rating:
Price: $24.99

This comprehensive book explains in lucid, assured terms how to practice the fertility awareness method (FAM), a natural, scientifically proven but little-known form of birth control (which is not to be confused with the woefully ineffective "rhythm" method). Author Toni Weschler has been teaching fertility awareness for almost 20 years, and it's only just now gaining in popularity. As the book explains, by using simple fertility signs including peaks in morning body temperature and changes in cervical position and cervical mucus, it's possible to determine when ovulation is taking place. Fertility awareness is therefore useful for not only couples who are trying to conceive, but for those who are aiming to avoid pregnancy without the use of chemical contraceptives. It will be of special interest to those women who have suffered from infertility; many FAM practitioners have told the author that by filling in the detailed charts in the book, they've realized that they were chronically miscarrying, even when their doctors told them they weren't conceiving at all. As the book explains, by charting body temperature, it's simple to tell when pregnancy has occurred--and when there's danger of miscarriage. Taking Charge of Your Fertility also explains how to choose the sex of your baby by timing intercourse according to certain fertility signs. It also features thorough, easy-to-understand explanations of hormones, the menstrual cycle, and menopause, along with fertility tests and treatments and their long- and short-term side effects, plus a topnotch resource section. Recommended for any woman who wants to better understand her body. --Erica Jorgensen

Customes reviews 1195

Very Informative (2010-03-08)

Great book. It's nice to know that I don't have to use birth control which has way to many side effects. This natural method is pretty low key and in many ways empowering.

Absolutely worked for us, can't recommend enough! (2010-03-01)

I can't recommend this book enough, whether you are trying to conceive or avoid pregnancy. I wish every girl was taught this information growing up. As a woman, you should know what's going on with your body, including what's normal and what's not! This book really does put you in charge.

I read the book in May 2009 and began charting that month, in the hopes of conceiving our first. We charted three cycles and ta-da! We got pregnant in July 2009 and are expecting our daughter in 5 short weeks now. The book and the method it describes have taught me so much and I'm so grateful I found it when I did. Don't wait until you've been trying without success for 6 months to a year. Get this book and give it a try. It can only help you. It certainly changed our lives!

Good luck!

How did I not know this before??? (2010-02-28)

I just finished this book and I have a few thoughts:

1) How was I not taught about fertility? I am a sexually active 38 yo woman with an Ivy league education. I read the NY Times. I Google everything. How did I not know what cervical fluid was and how it related to my own fertility? I am so grateful to the author for the education.

2) The feminist undertones of this book may be off putting to some.

3) The 10th anniversary edition was published in 2006 - 4 years ago. Much has changed. Women I know are indeed freezing their eggs. And vaginal sonograms are the norm.

4) I appreciate the overview of procedures, HOWEVER, please note that an HSG is perhaps the most pain you will ever experience outside of childbirth. I don't know why the author did not mention this in the description. After taking 12 advil and a vicoden before the procedure, i was still screaming bloody murder and worse.

Before you use fertility drugs, read this book!!!!! It works! (2010-02-22)

This was probably the greatest gift I ever received. I read and followed this book's charts for two months after trying to conceive for 2+ years. I thought I knew everything I needed to and was exhausted of hoping. I had already filled a prescription for the fertility drug Clomid & was waiting for my next cycle to start to take it. Well, I was already pregnant!!!! This book works. I swear I knew the day I conceived but still wasn't convinced---I am now!!!!!

Very informative (2010-02-21)

I purchased this book because I wanted to be proactive in trying to become pregnant. This book is so helpful and informative! I finally have a better understanding of my cycle and Basal Body Temperature charting!

Honoring Our Cycles: A Natural Family Planning Workbook

Author: Katie Singer
Publisher: NewTrends Publishing
Publication date: 2006-11-25
ISBN: 096708976X
Pages: 112
Rating:
Price: $12.00

In clear, everyday language, Honoring Our Cycles describes what happens during a menstrual cycle and how a baby is conceived. It explains how to chart the body's fertility signs to know which days are best for becoming pregnant or avoiding becoming pregnant, without the use of hormonal drugs. Includes dietary advice for successful conception and healthy babies and families.

Customes reviews 11

worked wonderfully for us! (2010-02-28)

I ordered this in late October, received it the day before I started my period in November, and began reading and charting immediately. I had my birth control implant (Implanon) removed the day after I started my period (Nov 11th). I didn't expect to have a normal cycle, but other than being a little long, it was fine. I charted bbt and cm for the month of November and we decided to begin trying in December. I ovulated on December 29th and we are now expecting our first child September 25th! It really is wonderfully helpful. It was great to be able to take our charts with us on our visit to the midwife.

Total waste of my money (2010-02-07)

When the cover of a book states "A natural family planning workbook for knowing which days you can and CAN'T get pregnant", it should include more than one page on the can't part. I was very disappointed when I read through this book about all the charting, temp taking, and monitoring your mucus then I come to the page about not getting pregnant and it pretty much states don't be intimate if you don't want to get pregnant. It's very contradictive that you can use all these things to get pregnant but they're not good to use for natural birth control. I already knew that withholding from intimacy was the best way to not get pregnant. I would sugest Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler it's a much better book and easier to understand.

Great Info (2009-11-08)

Husband and I are between child 1 & 2 and decided that birth control prescriptions are not the answer. I consistanly gained weight on these, so I checked with my OB/GYN and she refered me to this book...great info, simple techniques for observations of cycle changes and great worksheets to help plot your info month to month. When we are ready for #2, we'll be bc free and on track to plan our future family.

Great book and very speedy delivery (2009-10-19)

I received the book very promptly and it was everything I read in the other reviews. Very informative and would purchase again.

every woman needs to know this information (2009-05-27)

I got both this book and Kate Singer's "Garden of Fertility" and although I don't think both are neccecary, they both have an individual way of explaining the information. I am so intrigued by learning this natural process of our cycles, and both of these books really help. It seems like this workbook is written in an easier to understand language that anybody can figure out. i am still in the process of figuring it all out, but I really really am loving the information and getting to know my body!

A Cooperative Method of Natural Birth Control

Author: Margaret Nofziger
Publisher: Book Publishing Company (TN)
Publication date: 1992-01-24
ISBN: 0913990841
Pages: 112
Rating:
Price: $9.95

Presented here is a safe, non-invasive, and effective method of birth control based on the recording and interpretation of signs and signals from a woman's own body. This book has been recommended by family planning centers for many years.

Customes reviews 7

Essential book for young marriage (2009-05-14)

This is a book I read years ago and wished I'd owned for the past 20. Every female needs to know the information in this book. This book is not just a great guide to learning about a woman's reproductive cycle but how to use the physical information your body is producing and interpret it. It isn't just about preventing pregnacy, it's about knowing your body and knowing when you will ovulate so that you can either conceive a child or prevent the conception of one. A must have guide for anyone seeking a great alternative to prescription or barrier methods of birth control.

Great book for young, responsible women (2007-11-19)

This book clearly outlines a combination of 3 different natural birth control methods. It takes a little time and dedication to learn, but it is simple and effective if you are responsible.

I used birth control for 7 years and was nervous to go off, but was fed up with the side effects. A colleague recommended this book/method (she used it for 10 years with no failure). After a few months, I got the hang of it and feel so much better not putting any drugs/hormones into my body. I've been using this method effectively for one year now.

As a young woman I have many girlfriends who ask me about my method. I tell them anyone can do it but you have to be dedicated, responsible, and it helps if your partner is involved too. Great book to help!

Natural (2002-07-10)

This book is explains more about HOW the female monthly works than any I've ever seen. Explaining when a pregnancy can and can't occur, as well as the changes occuring during each phase. This would have been great as a 12 year old in the 7th grade "health" class. The book sticks strictly with the different signs and symptoms of the female monthly cycle. Uses plain english, without being offensive or prudish. As a mother of three -- it was worth the time I spent reading it. Any Mom with a daughter, a married couple who wants a natural birth control, or who are trying for a baby. This book removes the guesswork.

Can be used to help plan a pregnancy as well (2001-11-08)

My husband and I borrowed this book from a friend who used it to PREVENT pregancy, but we used it with the intentions of getting pregnant. We tried alot of things, including infertility treatments, but it wasn't until after we read this book and used the information to our advantage that we were able to finally get pregnant. Our son is now 6 months old, and we tell all our friends who are having trouble conceiving to give this book a try! It is an easy read, which is sometimes what you need... just the basics :)

Homespun Symptothermic Method (2001-05-23)

A fantastic introduction to what is now being called the "symptothermic method," a combination of calendar rhythm, basal body temperature, and cervical fluid logging that narrows down your "safe" and "unsafe" days for intercourse. Written by a woman who lives on The Farm (an intentional community in Tennessee), in the same spirit as "Spiritual Midwifery," by Ima May Gaskin. This is a great book if you're tired of regulating your fertility with the help of drugs or potentially dangerous devices and don't mind keeping a chart to keep track of your hormonal changes.

The Ovulation Method: Natural Family Planning

Author: John J. Billings
Publisher: Liturgical Press
Publication date: 1984-12
ISBN: 0814610110
Pages: 40
Rating:
Price: $9.95

Customes reviews 8

Natural (2010-03-03)

I enjoyed the Ovulation Method Book. It really help me out to understand what I need to do in order to get pregnant.

Very Effective!!!! (2007-07-15)

I have been on the Billings Ovulation Method for a few years now and beleive me, if you don't cheat it is 99.99% effective. The downfall to this method is that you are not suppose to know exactly how to use it without instruction. There are ways to contact these instructers that can guide you through the process for a fee. Check with your local womens center or life center, they can help. I was able to go through my training course right here in my home for thirty dollars, and you don't have to be Catholic to use it. Good luck to you.

PS.. I did get pregnant during the time of practicing this method but it is because we chose to cheat on my most fertile day. An Anniversary and a few drinks will impair judgement like that so be careful...lol

Promotes the method but doesn't teach it (2007-07-12)

This slim book promotes the Ovulation Method, profiling its advantages and utility. But it is not an instruction book. I'm only giving it three starts because although it's well-written I'm not sure who the intended audience is, or what group might find it useful.

For someone looking to learn a mucus-only method, I would look to "The Billings Method:Controlling Fertility Without Drugs or Devices" by Evelyn Billings. For someone just interested in any kind of fertility charting, not specifically a mucus-only method, I highly recommend Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler as the definitive book in this category.

Well worth it! (2007-01-13)

The ovulation book was great. The book was a good price, it was packed full of information and came with a chart and pleanty of stickers to get you and your spouse started on the wonderful journey of natural family planning.

Could be Better (2005-07-07)

I was hoping that the book went into better detail. It did not help me. However, it was informative and an easy read.

Natural Birth Control Made Simple

Authors: RN Barbara Kass-Annese R.N. C.N.P., M.D. Hal C. Danzer
Publisher: Hunter House
Publication date: 2003-05-22
ISBN: 0897934032
Pages: 160
Rating:
Price: $17.95

This guide offers information on reproduction, fertility, and natural conception, and gives instructions on Natural Family Planning (NFP) and the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM). This completely revised and updated edition includes new methods of natural birth control, illustrations and charts that show the planning methods described, and updated bibliography and resource sections.

Customes reviews 8

Quick way to get started or refresh your knowledge (2008-11-22)

This book is a wonderful primer for learning natural birth control, otherwise known as Natural Family Planning (when abstinence is used during the fertile period) or Fertility Awareness Method (when barrier contraception is used during the fertile period). This is a wonderful way to get to know and appreciate your body, as well as being a safe and effective form of birth control. It is easy to read and get started in a short period of time, which is something other books on the subject don't generally provide. It is a great reference for easy thumbing through when you have questions.

What I want to know is, why isn't this information more readily available and talked about?? It is truly a shame that women are made to feel that their bodies are somehow defective, and the fertility cycle is something to be "taken care of". For more uncommon wisdom regarding fertility and babies, I highly recommend Healing Our Children: Because Your New Baby Matters! Sacred Wisdom for Preconception, Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting (ages 0-6) by Ramiel Nagel.

Very informative! (2007-03-06)

I honestly didn't quite know how the reproductive system worked. It was very easy to read and gave great illustrations. I recommend this book highly because taking pills for birth control is very toxic to your body!

Educational (2007-03-01)

I think that this book has been very informative, the illustrations are hand drawn, photographs would have been better for some of the descriptions. Overall, I would recommend it.

Choose a Better Book (2007-01-29)

If you're looking for a good place to start - this book is not it. While I think the author gives good descriptions of your fertility signs, I don't think this book is a good idea for people new to NFP.

My biggest beef with this book is how the 'rules' are presented.

What you need to know is that there are basically two forms of NFP: STM and OM. STM (Sympto-Thermal Method) uses your basal body temperature, cervical mucus observations and changes in your cervix to determine when you are fertile and when you are not. OM (Ovulation Method or Billings Ovulation Method) relies on cervical mucus observations to determine your fertility.

While both can be effective - they use different rules. The author presents both STM and OM - but she mixes up the rules!

The result is a mish-mash of fertility rules that I think will lead to lower effectiveness rates. If you want to use NFP effectively, you need to pick one method and follow the rules for that method.

An example of this mix up involves the rules before ovulation. The author lists one of the STM rules (page 114) as abstaining during menstrual bleeding. This is not an STM rule - this is an OM Rule. There is no reason, if you are using STM that you need to abstain during the menstrual bleeding - but you MUST abstain during any bleeding if you are using the Ovulation Method.

With STM, you use your Basal Body Temperature rise to know when you are experiencing true menstrual bleeding - and not breakthrough bleeding, which is very fertile. With the Ovulation Method - there is no way of knowing (since you don't take your temperature) if bleeding is true menstruation - so with the OM, you must abstain during any bleeding.

Then on page 117, the author discusses the Cervical Mucus Method (aka Billings Ovulation Method) and suggests that you should abstain during your menstrual bleeding - or - you can have intercourse during the first five days of your cycle. Well - which is it? With the OM - you must abstain during any bleeding. The first five days option is a rule from STM.

If you're new to Natural Family Planning or Fertility Awareness - these may not seem like big differences. But take it from someone who has studied both methods - it is important to follow the rules. You can't take a little from this method and a little from that method and hope to get an effective method of postponing pregnancy.

The author will say that there are some rules that are more conservative - and others that are less - but doesn't always clearly identify which is which. For a beginner to NFP - this is trouble.

If you're looking to learn more about Natural Family Planning, pick a better book. Try "The Art of Natural Family Planning" - while it's a bigger book - you'll get clear instruction on the rules, along with the effectiveness of each rule so you can make informed decisions.

I gave this book two stars (instead of one) because I think the author does do a good job describing fertility signs and how to observe them.

That aside - choose another book to start learning about NFP - this one mixes up too many rules to be a good beginner book. If you are serious about using NFP effectively - don't choose this book.

Easy to understand and informative . . . a must for any woman! (2006-10-03)

This book clearly and accurately describes the natural changes that a woman's body goes through during her fertility cycle. In language that is easy to understand, the author (who is a nurse) describes each phase and its corresponding symptoms in clear, plain English.

While there is a lot of information, it is a thin book that is easily read in one sitting. I refer to it often and find more things explained to me each time I read it.

I have no doubt that after reading this book, I can confidently and accurately track my fertility, and I'm sure anyone else can, too. I bought this when I went off the pill, and no other book compares. It is a must-have for any woman of child-bearing years. I wish I would have known about this book before I messed up my body by being on the pill . . . it took MONTHS to get back on track. But this book was a Godsend in helping me to understand my body, which is the most important thing.

Physicians Healed

Authors: Cleta Hartman
Publisher: One More Soul
Publication date: 1998-10-01
ISBN: 096697770X
Pages: 144
Rating:
Price: $10.00

Physicians Healed tells the personal, inspiring conversion stories of 15 doctors who no longer prescribe contraceptives to their patients. Their compelling narratives speak to the struggles healthcare professionals, clergy and lay people face in accepting the Catholic Church's teaching on contraception and the great joy and peace that come in accepting God's plan for sex within marriage.

Physicians Healed is packed with a level of honesty rarely found in conversion stories. These courageous doctors frankly discuss how they dealt with performing abortions while in medical school, prescribing the "pill" to teenagers and financial pressures to prescribe contraceptives to their patients. In the end, the faith of these doctors triumphs as their moral struggle ends with a faith-filled decision to stop prescribing contraceptives.

A must-read, this critically-acclaimed book shows the great impact one person's witness can have on other people's moral decisions, the tremendous power of the clergy to influence the faithful and the secure peace that comes from making good and wise decisions.

Customes reviews 2

Heart of the Matter (2009-07-18)

Short and to the point, this book gets to the heart of the matter. First do no harm. Great for any physician who wants to get away from medical groups that are controlled by the pharmacuticals. Written by 15 doctors who did just that and the blessings in their practices and in their own lives due to their decision to break free.

The doctors who had to say no - Inspirational stories (2000-07-05)

Imagine making your way through medical school, learning little or nothing about natural fertility regulation, and prescribing contraceptives only to later learn the potential physical and spiritual damage you may have caused your patient.

This is the path traveled by the 15 physicians who share their very compelling stories in this wonderful little book.

All 15 were, at one time, doctors who prescribed contraceptives for their patients. Each story, tells in a unique way, how each physician made the courageous and often difficult choice to no longer prescribe contraception.

The testimonies should be read by any physician concerned with the health of his or her patients. Their witness speaks loudly in opposition to a culture which has embraced the contraceptive mentality and the infertility, abortions, death, and destruction that go with it.

Natural Fertility

Authors: Francesca Naish
Publisher: Sally Milner Publishing Pty Ltd
Publication date: 2005-10
ISBN: 186351337X
Pages: 358
Price:

The Billings Method: Using the Body's Natural Signal of Fertility to Achieve or Avoid Pregnancy

Authors: Evelyn Billings, Ann Westmore
Publisher: Anne O'Donovan Pty, Ltd.
Publication date: 2000
ISBN: 1876026367
Pages: 263
Price:

The Billings Method: A book on using the body's natural signal of fertility to achieve or avoid pregnancy.

Bioethics, Law, and Human Life Issues: A Catholic Perspective on Marriage, Family, Contraception, Abortion, Reproductive Technology, and Death and Dying (Catholic Social Thought)

Authors: D. Brian Scarnecchia
Publisher: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Publication date: 2010-06-16
ISBN: 0810874229
Pages: 460
Price: $60.00

Bioethics, Law, and Human Life Issues: A Catholic Perspective on Marriage, Family, Contraception, Abortion, Reproductive Technology, and Death and Dying draws on the Magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church to outline a Catholic response to a host of controversial issues related to human life. Scarnecchia lays out a Catholic moral theology based on the writings of Pope John Paul II and Thomas Aquinas, and he then applies those Christian moral principles to today's most contentious ethical issues, including reproductive technology, embryo adoption, contraception, abortion, family and same-sex marriage, and euthanasia and assisted suicide. This review of Catholic moral principles brings together an in-depth consideration of the central human life issues of our day with abundant reference to the Church's social teaching and to contrasting positions of today's leading ethicists.

Natural birth control without contraceptives according to nature's law, in harmony with Christian morality

Authors: John A O'Brien
Publisher: Newman Co
Publication date: 1938
ISBN:
Pages: 160
Price:

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