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| |    Rhythm and Other Abstinence Methods by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. reviewed by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. How well the birth control methods listed below work depends on communication and control on the part of both members of a couple. The stated effectiveness rates are for typical use on the lower end and perfect use on the upper end. Pregnancy rates in a year would be 100 minus the effectiveness rate--so, for instance, the risk of pregnancy with abstinence would be virtually zero. Abstinence: virtually 100 percent effective Abstinence is the avoidance of sexual intercourse. Many teens and young adults use this as their method of birth control. In rare cases, pregnancy has been the result of ejaculation near the vagina, but in general, abstinence is the most effective method of preventing pregnancy.
Periodic abstinence is what used to be called the rhythm method. It involves abstaining from sexual intercourse during a woman's fertile time of the month. This method works best for motivated couples in which the woman has extremely regular periods. Its success is hugely dependent on how the fertile time is determined and how cautious both partners are about the chances they take. Natural family planning, also called the sympto-thermal method, involves using physical signs of ovulation and basal body temperature to determine ovulation. Many churches provide detailed instruction in this technique. Natural family planning is most effective when the couple abstains from intercourse until after ovulation each month. For couples with self-discipline, this method can be quite successful.
Withdrawal, also called coitus interruptus, involves the man pulling his penis out of the woman's vagina before ejaculating. Since some sperm are released from the penis before ejaculation, this is not always an effective method of birth control.
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