Expert: Ramona Quilter - 9/10/2006

Question
I know that your expetise is on family planning but I have a question..I'm 18 years old in a 1 year monogamous relationship..As of now we are using copper IUD plus condoms everytime we had sex.  I am not ready for pregnancy..because I want to finish my career and be a doctor...Though i've tried abstaining a lot of times..I really find it hard.  I just want to know the chances of being pregnant with the use of both methods..thanks

Answer
I've found that the hard things are the most worthwhile.  But your chances or getting pregnant with an IUD and a condom are quite low.  Only abstinence would be lower.  

However as a doctor shouldn't you be concerned about your health and the wellbeing of your body?  NFP is Environmentally sound.

Couples who are health-conscious or concerned about environmental issues are very pleased to find an all-natural method of family planning. For couples who are concerned about maintaining their health, it would be inconsistent to pollute the wife’s body with powerful chemicals, or to surgically destroy a healthy part of one’s body (i.e., vasectomy or tubal ligation). For couples concerned about the well-being of plants and wildlife, it would likewise be inconsistent to not be concerned about the well-being of any newly conceived baby in the wife’s womb. With hormonal birth control, the potential exists to cause an early abortion since the chemicals can alter the lining of the woman’s uterus and interfere with the implantation of newly conceived life.

It’s interesting to note that long-lasting solutions to basic ecological and environmental problems depend upon people practicing self-control in one way or another. Conserving water may mean not wasting it with long, luxurious showers, or not watering the lawn during the heat of the day even though that is the most convenient time. Recycling garbage can take up enough time to be considered a minor hobby. Not dumping chemicals and toxic waste in landfills can entail going to burdensome lengths to ensure that the land and water table are protected.

We accept self-control in all of these other areas as an integral part of environmental responsibility. The same applies when we deal with the issue of birth regulation. It takes some self-control to practice NFP, but it pays off in the benefits to health and in the more important “ecology” of our marital relationship.