New kid on the block?

Posted May 09, 2006 02:28:00

Diana Jean V. Moraleda

Inquirer

SOMETHING new has been cooking in the population and development kitchen. On Feb. 28, 2006, the Institute for Reproductive Health of Georgetown University and its Philippine counterpart launched the Two-day Method at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center. The Two-day Method is a natural family planning (NFP) method that helps the woman to determine her fertile and infertile periods.

The procedure is quite simple: A woman checks every day for the presence of cervical secretions. If a woman notices any secretions today or yesterday, she considers herself fertile today and avoids intercourse today. More simply put, if a woman had two consecutive days without secretions, her probability of becoming pregnant is very low, thus the name Two-day.

Fertility awareness-based methods of family planning have been available for many years but never had something like this sounded so easy to do. The Two-day Method does not require the woman to use a thermometer like the Basal Body Temperature Method, or charts like the Billings Ovulation Method, or even beads like the Standard Days Method. What’s more, women with menstrual cycles of any length can use the method.

The Two-day Method has the same advantages as other natural family planning methods. There are no health related side effects associated with its use, it can be used to avoid or achieve pregnancy, it has no cost and promotes male partner involvement in family planning, among others.

It almost sounds as easy as popping a pill provided, however, that the woman has normal cervical secretions, meaning she is not currently taking medications (e.g., the pill) that cause abnormal secretions, that she is actually willing to check for secretions, and that the couple can avoid intercourse for several consecutive days each cycle.

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