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QNatural family planning is a method that teaches you at what time during the month you can have sex without contraception and with a reduced risk of pregnancy. The method is sometimes called fertility awareness and it works by plotting the times of the month when you’re fertile and when you’re not. There are three main methods of monitoring your fertility: ■ Calculating your menstrual cycle and working out when you are ovulating. ■ Monitoring body temperature (with a digital thermometer or a thermometer designed for natural family planning). ■ The cervical secretion monitoring method, looking out for a change in the amount and consistency of the mucus. If natural family planning methods are used properly, at best they can be up to 99% effective. This means that one out of 100 women using natural family planning correctly will get pregnant. Taking into account that people can make mistakes, forget instructions or that other problems can occur, some estimates suggest that, in reality, natural family planning can be around 75% effective. If you decide to use natural family planning, you can reduce your risk of accidental pregnancy by making sure you are taught natural family planning by a suitably qualified teacher. Search “contraception” on NHSinform.scot for information.