The IUD is also called the coil or loop. It is a plastic and copper device between 20 and 40 mm (about 1—1? in) long that is inserted into a woman’s uterus by a doctor. When in place, it can’t be felt. It protects against pregnancy as long as it remains in the uterus. Depending on the type used, the IUD may be left in place for three to five years. A woman can’t remove an IUD herself, her doctor must both insert and remove it. Although no one is entirely certain how it works, it is thought that the copper on the IUD inhibits sperm movement, preventing them from reaching the ovum, and that the presence of an IUD makes it impossible for a fertilized ovum to plant itself in the uterus.

Natural Family Planning (NFP)-NFP is also called fertility awareness. It involves a woman learning to tell when during each menstrual cycle she is most likely to be fertile (that is, capable of becoming pregnant) and refraining from sexual intercourse at that time. People who use NFP have three techniques for determining when the woman is fertile:

1. daily observations of the mucus secreted by her cervix (certain changes in the mucus indicate fertile times) this is called the cervical mucus (Billings) method;

2. charts of her daily body temperature (slight changes in body temperature indicate when the fertile time is past);

3. keeping track of the days of the cycle on a calendar to predict fertile times.

Using techniques 1 and 2 together is called the sympto-thermal method and is the most effective means of NFP. Using only the calendar technique is called the rhythm method. The rhythm method alone is not a very effective method of preventing pregnancy and therefore is not recommended. NFP should be taught by a qualified NFP teacher; it cannot be learned from a leaflet or book.

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