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| Method |
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You keep track of a woman's menstrual cycle and have intercourse only during the "safe" (or infertile) days. |
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| Success Rate |
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Typical use is difficult to estimate with this method, but with perfect use, about nine women out of 100 become pregnant in one year. |
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| Benefits |
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It’s free and there are no devices to deal with. There are no side effects (except having to go without intercourse for several days before and after ovulation). |
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| Drawbacks |
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Doesn't protect against STDs including HIV. Predicting when a woman will ovulate is not easy, and sperm can live inside a woman's body for days. You have to keep careful track of your vaginal mucus, menstrual cycle, and/or body temperature to accurately track your fertility patterns beginning several months before you start relying on this method. Because of the difficulty of using this method, there are a lot of accidental pregnancies. |
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| How To Get It |
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You will need good instruction--a class or health care provider--and several months of charting before you begin to rely on his method. |
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| Photo: Scott Houston, Corbis Sygma |
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