PLANNING A FAMILY, PREPARING PARENTS

American culture is rampant with graphic images of sexuality, and those images teach little about postponing sex or how couples can build a marriage while planning for pregnancy, a Jackson couple says.

Ted and Angie Grieshop teach area couples about natural family planning methods supported by the Couple to Couple League. Sessions are taught once each month from 4 to 6 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Jackson.

Issues of teen-age pregnancies, unwed mothers and abortion might not be as prevalent if there weren't a gap between what the church teaches about sex and how individuals react. Contraception isn't new, and neither is the moral debate over birth control, says the Couple to Couple League.

The Couple to Couple League is a not-for-profit organization formed in 1971 to help provide natural family planning services as a means of strengthening the family.

The issue isn't just a Catholic one, the Grieshops say. Historically all churches condemned birth control methods. But by the mid 1930s, attitudes began to change. Natural family planning methods were practiced less and artificial birth control gained in popularity.

"Most people don't know that it isn't just a religious issue but a health issue as well," said Ted Grieshop, who is also a doctor of infectious diseases. "You don't have to be Catholic to use it."

Natural family planning is a means of using symptoms evident in a woman's body and temperature readings to regulate conception. As a woman's menstruation cycle advances, changes in her body temperature rise as fertility increases. During ovulation, there are changes in a woman's cervix and mucus that indicate signs of fertility.

There are different methods of natural family planning:

* Abstinence.

* A calendar rhythm that was based on biological averages for all women but was considered ineffective for women with irregular menstrual cycles.

* Sympto-thermal method, which uses both signs evident in a woman's body and temperature readings taken with a basal thermometer.

* Ovulation method, which uses only cervical mucus as a sign of fertility.

For 16 years, Angie Grieshop has taken her body's temperature daily, recorded it on a chart and accurately predicted the birth of each of her five children.

Grieshop and her husband used a family planning method to help them determine when to have children. It's been so successful for them that now they teach it to other couples.

Some of the couples hope to conceive and have not been successful, others hope to avoid a pregnancy during early menopause and still others are just interested in gathering information.

One woman said she and her husband heard about natural family planning through their church. The couple wanted to find a natural method that wouldn't "cut off the possibility" of having children.

Through a series of meetings, couples can learn more about how to postpone, avoid or plan a pregnancy. Each meeting is held on the second Sunday of the month at Immaculate Conception Church.

Making decisions about when to have a family involves both partners, the Grieshops said. Natural family planning empowers couples to make those choices together, not just leaving it up to one partner to decide. Any decision that is mutual is good for the marriage, the Grieshop said.

Couples have to be motivated to use the natural family planning method. It requires consistency to be effective, Angie Grieshop said.

But once you get started, "it just becomes part of your routine," said another woman who completed the course.

Counseling information and charts are available from the Couple to Couple League. Visit the Web site at www.ccli.org for more information.

Natural family planning is more effective than using other birth control methods. After several months, patterns develop in the woman's menstrual cycle, and she can easily chart her temperatures and determine her fertile times.

By using the charts and sympto-thermal method, "we knew every time" our child was conceived, Angie said.

People often joke about their large family of five children and how natural family planning must not have worked.

None of their children was an "accident," as people might say, Angie said. "We knew it was an opportunity for us."

By charting her ovulation cycles, Angie knew exactly when her children were conceived and could easily determine their delivery dates. There were no guesses.

Every time that Angie got pregnant, "it was God's will. He wanted that child," Ted said.

People have to understand that God doesn't have accidents. It isn't just a man and woman planning a pregnancy, but God who is in control. "People think that `I have all the control' but we are a selfish society," Ted said.

Children should be considered blessings from God, the Grieshops said.

Natural family planning

What is natural family planning?

Natural family planning is a practice of achieving or avoiding pregnancies according to awareness of a woman's fertility.

Why is it the best method of family planning?

Natural family planning provides a highly effective and low-cost method for planning a family. It does not involve birth control devices and is reversible for achieving pregnancy.

What's the basis for natural family planning?

It is scientifically proven that during each menstrual cycle a woman normally becomes fertile and then naturally infertile. The fertile time is the part of her cycle when sexual intercourse can result in pregnancy. Certain physical signs indicate the fertile and infertile times in a menstrual cycle.

What are the signs of fertility and infertility?

The most used signs are a normal discharge of cervical mucus and changes in a woman's body temperature.

A woman's flow of cervical mucus generally starts several days before she releases an egg. It is a positive sign that her fertile time has begun. After ovulation, the mucus discharge disappears.

A woman's waking body temperature, taken with a basal thermometer, is generally lower before ovulation and rises slightly after ovulation. After the temperature has been elevated for several days, it is a positive sign she is infertile.

What is the sympto-thermal method of natural family planning?

The method is a system of using the mucus and temperature signs in a crosschecking way for the highest confidence and reliability in family planning.

Is this what used to be called the rhythm method?

No. The rhythm method was the calendar rhythm method developed in 1930. It was based on biological averages but did not work for women who had irregular menstrual cycles. It was the 1930s model of natural family planning, but progress has been made since then.

Can natural family planning work with irregular cycles?

Yes. Modern natural family planning assumes that every woman is irregular at least some of the time. In general, if her fertile time comes earlier or later than usual she knows about it because the start of her cervical mucus comes earlier or later.

Does natural family planning take much time?

No. With the sympto-thermal method, a woman must only spend a few minutes each day taking her body temperature when she awakens. During the day she becomes aware of her cervical mucus. On a chart her husband records a dot for the temperature, and then at night she records a symbol to describe her mucus. The chart then gives an accurate, day-to-day picture of her fertility.

Is natural family planning safe?

Yes. There are no birth control devices or drugs, thus no side effects. Natural family planning also helps a woman become more away of her cycles and any irregularities so that she can seek early health-care attention should a problem arise.

How effective is natural family planning?

A number of studies shows that the sympto-thermal method can be used within 99 percent of accuracy to avoid pregnancy.

Natural family planning also helps a woman achieve pregnancy by charting her fertile times each month. The charted cycles reveal patterns that help couples maximize fertility. Many couples trying to conceive children use natural family planning training to help them.

Is natural family planning morally acceptable?

Yes. All the major religions including the Catholic Church accept the use of natural family planning when couples have reasons for limiting family size or spacing babies. On the other hand, the Catholic Church, some parts of Judaism and some Protestant churches are opposed to sterilization and the use of contraception.

How can I find our more about natural family planning?

The best way to learn more is to attend a Couple to Couple League course or through a home study course. Contact Ted and Angie Grieshop at 243-9109 or write the Couple to Couple League; P.O. Box 111184; Cincinnati, Ohio, 45211.

Source: Compiled from informational brochures and literature from the Couple to Couple League.