Seriously people, think again. We might as well go back to medieval days and old wives tales for modern medicine. Bad idea.
Rhythm on the Rise?
SodaHead Living
2010/06/03 19:00:00
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According to a government survey released on Wednesday, the number of teenage girls who are using the rhythm method as their primary method of birth control has increased dramatically.
The rhythm method, which is promoted primarily by religious institutions that don’t support more proactive birth control, is based on abstaining from intercourse on the days of the female partner’s menstrual cycle. It involves keeping at least two months of charts tracking the length of your menstrual cycles and, if done properly, recording changes in your cervical mucus and taking your basal body temperature every day before getting out of bed. And you still have a 25% chance of getting pregnant. And it does not protect you from STDs of any kind.
All that to avoid a condom?
The study shows that 17% of teen girls elect to use the rhythm method. That’s an increase of 11% from 2002, the last time this survey was conducted.
The study also reveals that more teens think it’s acceptable for an unmarried female to have a baby. Researchers are correlating these changing practices and attitudes to the rise in teen birth rates, which had been declining steadily between 1991 and 2005, but starting rising again starting in 2006.
The survey was conducted when teen pregnancies were playing a larger-than-normal role in the news; big stories at the time included Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin’s pregnant, unwed teen mother, and Jaimie Lynn Spears, Britney’s younger sister. “Juno” was also popular at the time.
The rhythm method, which is promoted primarily by religious institutions that don’t support more proactive birth control, is based on abstaining from intercourse on the days of the female partner’s menstrual cycle. It involves keeping at least two months of charts tracking the length of your menstrual cycles and, if done properly, recording changes in your cervical mucus and taking your basal body temperature every day before getting out of bed. And you still have a 25% chance of getting pregnant. And it does not protect you from STDs of any kind.
All that to avoid a condom?
The study shows that 17% of teen girls elect to use the rhythm method. That’s an increase of 11% from 2002, the last time this survey was conducted.
The study also reveals that more teens think it’s acceptable for an unmarried female to have a baby. Researchers are correlating these changing practices and attitudes to the rise in teen birth rates, which had been declining steadily between 1991 and 2005, but starting rising again starting in 2006.
The survey was conducted when teen pregnancies were playing a larger-than-normal role in the news; big stories at the time included Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin’s pregnant, unwed teen mother, and Jaimie Lynn Spears, Britney’s younger sister. “Juno” was also popular at the time.
Top Opinion
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Cass 2010/06/04 00:17:49Using birth control and/or condoms is the safer, smarter choice.
+5... Does anyone really believe that a teenage girl is that inclined to get up from bed everyday and check her "cervical mucus" and "basal temperature"??? Most don't even have time to properly put on their make-up in the morning, eat a decent breakfast, or remember every single day to take they're regular birth control- and they're really going to subject themselves to such difficult and dreadful activities, rather than having their guy just put on a condom?!?!
Seriously people, think again. We might as well go back to medieval days and old wives tales for modern medicine. Bad idea.
and the time of the "period" is when the body is getting rid of the unfertilized egg. it is BEFORE the "period" that the girl can get pregnant.
unless I'm wrong, then someone please enforme me
A woman with a pretty regular cycle can "chart" her basal body temperature every day and, after about two months/menstrual cycles, will likely notice patterns and temperature spikes that indicate that she is ovulating. Further, cervical mucus changes over the course of a menstrual cycle, so by actually inserting a finger into her vagina to acquire a bit of that, she can observe and determine whether she might be ovulating. (During ovulation, cervical mucus i...
&R;
A woman with a pretty regular cycle can "chart" her basal body temperature every day and, after about two months/menstrual cycles, will likely notice patterns and temperature spikes that indicate that she is ovulating. Further, cervical mucus changes over the course of a menstrual cycle, so by actually inserting a finger into her vagina to acquire a bit of that, she can observe and determine whether she might be ovulating. (During ovulation, cervical mucus is about the consistency of egg whites - stretchy, clear, and thin.)
So you see, there is a lot more that goes into getting pregnant for a woman than just popping off a load of semen any time we feel like it. The problem with teenagers using this method, though, is that it often takes a woman several years before her menstrual cycle "evens out" and becomes predictable. Often, this won't really happen until about age 22 or so, and even then, so many things can affect ovulation - stress, diet, exercise, sleep or lack of it, caffeine, smoking, medication...the list goes on and on. So it's a viable form of "prevention" for, say, married women who are trying NOT to get pregnant but wouldn't mind if they DID get pregnant, because it has a 25% PLUS failure rate. It's also good for women over 35 who might be at increased risk for side effects (like blood clots) caused by hormonal contraceptives.
But teens? No. Teens live a lifestyle that makes the "rhythm" method a near-complete failure when it comes to preventing pregnancy. Plus, the earlier you start having sex, the more sex partners you are likely to have over your lifetime. Thus, preventing STDs should be as much a concern for these young people as preventing pregnancy. Bottom line - sexually active teen girls need to take birth control, and sexually active teen boys need to use a condom.
P.S. "Periods" aren't "sick." They're just periods. It's a normal part of life...and while many - if not most - ladies prefer not to have sex during their period, people do it all the time. When you're on a 15 month deployment to Iraq and you come home on your R&R leave for ten days and your wife is on her period for 7 of them...well...let's just say you lay down a towel.
^ then what does that mean?
After re-reading that, I can definitely see why you were confused. :-)
This rhythm method is like playing Russian roulette and is NOT birth control.....
Besides that most young ladies have not been a woman long enough to know how to recognize the subtle changes in their bodies, recognizing these changes is REQUIRED to successfully chart ones cycles and either prevent or achieve pregnancy. It involves a lot more than writing down your temp on a sheet of paper. It involves time, dedication, research, understandning of ones own body, pretty regular cycles and great self-control.
Furthermore the article states that the method involves only abstaining on the days of her menstrual cycle which is incorrect. One must obstain during the fertile part of the cycle, usually the week surrounding ovulation.
So much easier.
Especially because there's a lot worse out there than having a baby!
Yes they don't feel quite as good (still pretty fuggin good)
Yes they are sorta annoying and inconvenient.
BUT YES they do stop babies. That's what counts the most.
Any ways so my friends and I were talking about if we were planned, or not, and if not what went wrong. Of all the ones that were not planned the reason had to do with the fact that their religious parents refused to use any birthcontrol other than the rythem method.
So yea, birthcontrol and condoms thank you.
Why the hell is the US becoming so accepting of teenage pregnancy? There is a reason why it used to be taboo....as a disincentive to get knocked up. I wish we'd quit being so damn PC, call a square a square, and admit that teen preganacy is a BAD thing. Use a condom!
However, I don't recommend it for unmarried sex. Sometimes cycles are off and as the article states, does nothing to protect from STDs.
you know what they call girls who use the rhythm method dont you??
Answer:
Mommy~!
Seriously people, think again. We might as well go back to medieval days and old wives tales for modern medicine. Bad idea.
I'll go with a safer, more tried and true, route, thanks.
Good luck with the rhythm, ya'll. Just don't get outta sync. lol