Many opt for natural family planning

[Eden Prairie News, January 29, 2010] More couples are turning to natural family planning as a way to achieve or postpone a pregnancy. Whether for religious, health or environmental reasons, these couples are shying away from contraceptives and having the family they always wanted.

Dr. Frani Knowles, a family medical physician at New Ulm Medical Center, quit prescribing birth control two years ago. Knowles patients choose natural family planning for a variety of reasons. Some can't take hormonal birth control because of medical issues. Others don't like the side effects. Some have environmental concerns about the pill, which not only travels through a woman’s body but into waterways.

The effectiveness and convenience attracts many women to hormonal birth control, said Dr. Diana Gillman, an OB/GYN with Allina Medical Clinic and St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee.