How effective is the Fertility Awareness Method as birth control?
The most recent statistics are found in the Spring 2007 issue of Human Reproduction Today, a leading journal in the field. The study, performed in Germany, found the Fertility Awareness Method to be EQUALLY AS EFFECTIVE as oral contraceptives. That is, 99.4-99.6% effective in preventing pregnancy when used correctly. There have been other studies over the years as well, including ones done by the World Health Organization (WHO), that have given FAM a 97.7-98.2% effectiveness rate.
These studies also include a 'user effectiveness rate', which takes into account our human error, rather than simply the fault of the method. In the case of FAM, these errors would include practitioners taking risks, not following the given rules and not charting effectively. It would also include teaching errors. The user effectiveness of FAM averages in the eightieth percentile. The user effectiveness of this method compares to other methods of birth control where the user has responsibilities in it's use, such as condoms, diaphragms and oral contraceptives.
Please check out the following link for more information on the most recent study performed:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/dem003v1
These studies also include a 'user effectiveness rate', which takes into account our human error, rather than simply the fault of the method. In the case of FAM, these errors would include practitioners taking risks, not following the given rules and not charting effectively. It would also include teaching errors. The user effectiveness of FAM averages in the eightieth percentile. The user effectiveness of this method compares to other methods of birth control where the user has responsibilities in it's use, such as condoms, diaphragms and oral contraceptives.
Please check out the following link for more information on the most recent study performed:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/dem003v1
