Training of Roma Health Mediators in Reproductive Health

‣ What are the situations in which a woman cannot become pregnant, from puberty
until menopause?
• When she is already pregnant
• When she is breastfeeding a baby (and respecting the conditions of LAM)
• When she is in the unfertile stage of her menstrual cycle
Explain that:
• During a woman’s menstrual cycle, there are stages when she is fertile (around
the time an egg/ovum is released from one of her ovaries) and she can become
pregnant if she has intercourse with a man
• There are other stages of the menstrual cycle (well before, and well after, the time
when an egg/ovum is released) when she is infertile and will not become pregnant
if she has intercourse with a man
• There are several Natural Family Planning Methods based on a woman’s having
intercourse only during the infertile stages of her menstrual cycle. By using a
natural family planning method, pregnancy is prevented in a natural way without
using any artificial interference.
Distribute the participant document Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) - Fact Sheet
and ask volunteers to read it. Answer participants’ questions as necessary.
Make a brief presentation of the natural family planning methods based on fertility
awareness, using the information from the trainer document Natural Family Planning
Methods.
Inform participants that SDM will be discussed in more detail in the next session.
Summarize the Fertility Awareness Methods:
• For all methods based on fertility awareness, the couple needs to choose a method for
identifing the fertile period during each menstrual cycle.
• Then, the couple needs to make a decision about their sexual behavior during the
woman’s fertile period and respect this decision. They could choose:
o Abstinence: not to have sexual intercourse during the fertile days (periodic
abstinence)
o A barrier method (condom, spermicides)
o Coitus Interruptus or Withdrawal Method.
• The effectiveness of fertility awareness methods varies more than for other methods,
depending on variables such as consistency of use, regularity of menstrual cycles, and
user-related factors. Fertility awareness methods have a typical pregnancy rate of
about 20% in the first year; consistent and correct use can reduce the pregnancy rate
to 2%.
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RFHI/JSI Romania Training of RHMs in Reproductive Health Session 4: FP Methods